A Gentle Path Through the Twelve Steps Quotes

“Be as a Child Children live fully in the moment. Adults are distracted by the past and concerned about the future; children live in the now. Adults focus on what is practical; children focus on what is. Every parent has had a chance to see through a child’s eyes and marvel at the world adults often miss. Children are totally engaged in what is happening around them. They want to explore and understand everything, immediately, with all their senses. It is easy to be intimate with children because they are so vulnerable and open. Spirituality is about intimacy—closeness and appreciation of oneself, others, and a Higher Power. For some of us, to be vulnerable and open was to risk exploitation. So we built defenses and coping mechanisms that split us off from our experiences. It is partly how we lost our spiritual connection. In the safety of recovery, the challenge is to reclaim our vulnerability and openness so we can be present to the world.”
― Patrick J. Carnes, A Gentle Path through the Twelve Steps: The Classic Guide for All People in the Process of Recovery

“Mephistopheles replied, “I am the spirit who always denies!”
― Patrick J. Carnes, A Gentle Path through the Twelve Steps: The Classic Guide for All People in the Process of Recovery