Jackie Elliott > Quotes

“A Theodore Roosevelt speech from 1910 says, “It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again.”
― Jackie Elliott, Sober Ever After: A Memoir

“I think we are well advised to keep on nodding terms with the people we used to be, whether we find them attractive company or not. Otherwise they turn up unannounced and surprise us, come hammering on the mind's door at 4 a.m. of a bad night and demand to know who deserted them, who betrayed them, who is going to make amends.”  Joan Didion.”
― Jackie Elliott, Sober Ever After: A Memoir

“So we have to be careful of validating our stories to ourselves. If we are constantly telling ourselves that we are failures, we are not enough, we aren’t smart enough, not responsible, whatever our story may be....it affects the way we behave, and becomes a viscous circle.”
― Jackie Elliott, How I Quit Drinking

“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them” Albert Einstein”
― Jackie Elliott, How I Quit Drinking

“In fairness, the confusion is mutual. I never understood them either.”
― Jackie Elliott, How I Quit Drinking

“Labels and Language. Language is powerful. It helps forms our thoughts, beliefs and values. I do not identify myself as an Alcoholic. I use the term for convenience (for others), but I’ve found that there are so many misconceptions around the label, that it has become virtually meaningless. I do not identify myself as “in recovery”.  Overall, I believe labels are strictly for soup cans.”
― Jackie Elliott, How I Quit Drinking

“I believe no one can really avoid periods of self- examination as we journey down the sober path.  And that’s healthy. But just remember, if you are constantly checking the rear-view mirror, you will miss the beautiful scenery.”
― Jackie Elliott, How I Quit Drinking