--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: First of all, we had to quit playing God…" description: "\"“First of all, we had to quit playing God. It didn't work.”\" — Alcoholics Anonymous" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca9/alcoholics-anonymous-4926_aa_first-of-all-we-had-to-quit-playing-god_2167854.jpg" --- # First of all, we had to quit playing God. It didn't work. ![“First of all, we had to quit playing God. It didn't work.” quote by Alcoholics Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca9/alcoholics-anonymous-4926_aa_first-of-all-we-had-to-quit-playing-god_2167854.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca9/alcoholics-anonymous-4926_aa_first-of-all-we-had-to-quit-playing-god_2167854.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca9/alcoholics-anonymous-4926_aa_first-of-all-we-had-to-quit-playing-god_2167854.jpg) > ““First of all, we had to quit playing God. It didn't work.”” [Alcoholics Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alcoholics-anonymous/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The statement warns against overreaching control, suggesting that trying to dominate outcomes can backfire. **In simple terms:** Trying to control everything can fail. Key Takeaway Accept limits and seek balance. Themes humility control spirituality Mood reflective cautious Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - addiction recovery - leadership - personal growth Key Concepts self‑efficacy ethical limits Questions to Reflect On - When have you tried to “play God” and failed? - What balance can you find? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on control may cause burnout. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god/) ## Related quotes > [We do not quit playing because we grow old, we grow old because we quit playing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-do-not-quit-playing-because-we-grow-old-we-grow-old-because-we/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I don't know if I'm ever going to quit playing football. I'm just kidding.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-vinatieri/i-don-t-know-if-i-m-ever-going-to-quit-playing-football-i-m-just/) [Adam Vinatieri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-vinatieri/) > [Quit playing, you didn't love me from the start.. You're the reason why I feel this way, you broke my fucking heart... and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drake/quit-playing-you-didn-t-love-me-from-the-start-you-re-the-reason-why/) [Drake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drake/) > [I played competitive golf all my life. Then all of a sudden, when I quit playing the game, I've got all this spare time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicklaus/i-played-competitive-golf-all-my-life-then-all-of-a-sudden-when-i/) [Jack Nicklaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicklaus/) > [Men do not quit playing because they grow old; they grow old because they quit playing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/men-do-not-quit-playing-because-they-grow-old-they-grow-old-because/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Identifying, they said, was trying to see how I was like the people I was with. Comparing, they told me, was looking for differences,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alcoholics-anonymous/identifying-they-said-was-trying-to-see-how-i-was-like-the-people-i/) [Alcoholics Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alcoholics-anonymous/) > [“When I stopped living in the problem and began living in the answer, the problem went away.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alcoholics-anonymous/when-i-stopped-living-in-the-problem-and-began-living-in-the-answer/) [Alcoholics Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alcoholics-anonymous/) > [“It will take time to clear away the wreck. Though old buildings will eventually be replaced by finer ones, the new structures will take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alcoholics-anonymous/it-will-take-time-to-clear-away-the-wreck-though-old-buildings-will/) [Alcoholics Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alcoholics-anonymous/) > [“To this day, I am amazed at how many of my problems - most of which had nothing to do with drinking, I believed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alcoholics-anonymous/to-this-day-i-am-amazed-at-how-many-of-my-problems-most-of-which-had/) [Alcoholics Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alcoholics-anonymous/) > [“We should be sensible, tactful, considerate and humble without being servile or scraping. As God's people we stand on our feet; we don't crawl…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alcoholics-anonymous/we-should-be-sensible-tactful-considerate-and-humble-without-being/) [Alcoholics Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alcoholics-anonymous/) > [“They sound like the philosophy of a man who, having a headache, beats himself on the head with a hammer so that he cannot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alcoholics-anonymous/they-sound-like-the-philosophy-of-a-man-who-having-a-headache-beats/) [Alcoholics Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alcoholics-anonymous/) > [“I've been benefited from a dictionary definition I found that reads: "Rationalization is giving a socially acceptable reason for socially unacceptable behavior, and socially…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alcoholics-anonymous/i-ve-been-benefited-from-a-dictionary-definition-i-found-that-reads/) [Alcoholics Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alcoholics-anonymous/) > [“...one of the primary differences between alcoholics and nonalcoholics is that nonalcoholics change their behavior to meet their goals and alcoholics change their goals…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alcoholics-anonymous/one-of-the-primary-differences-between-alcoholics-and-nonalcoholics/) [Alcoholics Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alcoholics-anonymous/) > [“Avoid then, the deliberate manufacture of misery, but if trouble comes, cheerfully capitalize it as an opportunity to demonstrate His omnipotence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alcoholics-anonymous/avoid-then-the-deliberate-manufacture-of-misery-but-if-trouble-comes/) [Alcoholics Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alcoholics-anonymous/) > [“If we were to live, we had to be free of anger.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alcoholics-anonymous/if-we-were-to-live-we-had-to-be-free-of-anger/) [Alcoholics Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alcoholics-anonymous/) ## More by Alcoholics Anonymous > [“and I actually talked about God, the one who had abandoned me when I was very little, very frightened, and very hurt.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alcoholics-anonymous/and-i-actually-talked-about-god-the-one-who-had-abandoned-me-when-i/) [Alcoholics Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alcoholics-anonymous/) > [“New Year’s resolutions I recycled for a dozen years while my drinking and my life kept getting worse. Alcohol had enslaved me. I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alcoholics-anonymous/new-year-s-resolutions-i-recycled-for-a-dozen-years-while-my-drinking/) [Alcoholics Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alcoholics-anonymous/) > [“The horrors grew. Inner horrors. On the surface it looked as though I was more or less keeping it together, but day by day…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alcoholics-anonymous/the-horrors-grew-inner-horrors-on-the-surface-it-looked-as-though-i/) [Alcoholics Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alcoholics-anonymous/) > [“How I ran my home, I don’t know. I went on, realizing what I was becoming, hating myself for it, bitter, blaming life, blaming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alcoholics-anonymous/how-i-ran-my-home-i-don-t-know-i-went-on-realizing-what-i-was/) [Alcoholics Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alcoholics-anonymous/) > [“Acceptance is the answer to all my problemskey to all my problems today.When I am distrubed, it is because I find some person, place,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alcoholics-anonymous/acceptance-is-the-answer-to-all-my-problemskey-to-all-my-problems/) [Alcoholics Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alcoholics-anonymous/) > [“It’s like a man standing on a bridge in the middle of a river with his pants on fire wondering why his pants are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alcoholics-anonymous/it-s-like-a-man-standing-on-a-bridge-in-the-middle-of-a-river-with/) [Alcoholics Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alcoholics-anonymous/) > [“But in the light of the new understanding that I have found in A.A., I have been able to interpret that defeat and that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alcoholics-anonymous/but-in-the-light-of-the-new-understanding-that-i-have-found-in-a-a-i/) [Alcoholics Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alcoholics-anonymous/) > [“I actually wanted a drink, besides feeling that I had to have a drink.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alcoholics-anonymous/i-actually-wanted-a-drink-besides-feeling-that-i-had-to-have-a-drink/) [Alcoholics Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alcoholics-anonymous/) > [“When I got home in the evening, I drank at least half the fifth in front of the television set and watched reruns until…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alcoholics-anonymous/when-i-got-home-in-the-evening-i-drank-at-least-half-the-fifth-in/) [Alcoholics Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alcoholics-anonymous/) > [“I wondered how this misery would end. I was full of fear. I was afraid to tell others what I felt lest they would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alcoholics-anonymous/i-wondered-how-this-misery-would-end-i-was-full-of-fear-i-was-afraid/) [Alcoholics Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alcoholics-anonymous/) > [“I tried everything. I moved a thousand miles away from home to Chicago and a new environment. I studied art; I desperately endeavored to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alcoholics-anonymous/i-tried-everything-i-moved-a-thousand-miles-away-from-home-to-chicago/) [Alcoholics Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alcoholics-anonymous/) > [“Dishonest thinking, prejudice, ego, antagonism toward anyone and everyone who dares to cross him, vanity, and a critical attitude are character defects that gradually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alcoholics-anonymous/dishonest-thinking-prejudice-ego-antagonism-toward-anyone-and/) [Alcoholics Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alcoholics-anonymous/) > [“We must lose our fear of creditors no matter how far we have to go, for we are liable to drink if we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alcoholics-anonymous/we-must-lose-our-fear-of-creditors-no-matter-how-far-we-have-to-go/) [Alcoholics Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alcoholics-anonymous/) > [“So I continued spinning fantasies, and now alcohol fueled my dreams. I would make great discoveries, win the Nobel Prize in medicine and in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alcoholics-anonymous/so-i-continued-spinning-fantasies-and-now-alcohol-fueled-my-dreams-i/) [Alcoholics Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alcoholics-anonymous/) > [“Above all, I am grateful to A.A. for my sobriety, which means so much to my family, friends, and business associates, because God and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alcoholics-anonymous/above-all-i-am-grateful-to-a-a-for-my-sobriety-which-means-so-much-to/) [Alcoholics Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alcoholics-anonymous/) [Explore all 105 Alcoholics Anonymous quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alcoholics-anonymous/) ## More Aa quotes > [“Addiction is not a moral defect, and to suggest that does a great disservice to people suffering with this disorder.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lance-dodes/addiction-is-not-a-moral-defect-and-to-suggest-that-does-a-great/) [Lance Dodes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lance-dodes/) > [“This is the point where the knowing, irony-infused author laughs along with his readers about his time among the aphorisms, how he was once…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-carr/this-is-the-point-where-the-knowing-irony-infused-author-laughs-along/) [David Carr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-carr/) > [“AA makes inflated claims about itself. Its foundational document, Alcoholics Anonymous (commonly referred to as the “Big Book” and a perennial best seller), spells…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lance-dodes/aa-makes-inflated-claims-about-itself-its-foundational-document/) [Lance Dodes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lance-dodes/) > [“Avoid then, the deliberate manufacture of misery, but if trouble comes, cheerfully capitalize it as an opportunity to demonstrate His omnipotence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alcoholics-anonymous/avoid-then-the-deliberate-manufacture-of-misery-but-if-trouble-comes/) [Alcoholics Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alcoholics-anonymous/) > [“Danny strolled to the town common, sat on one of the benches in Teenytown and took one of the bottles out of the bag,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/danny-strolled-to-the-town-common-sat-on-one-of-the-benches-in/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“Methods to produce an android app As the need for android is enhancing in the modern-day world, designers have a much better future in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/methods-to-produce-an-android-app-as-the-need-for-android-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“In the one-treatment-fits-all approach, clients sit in group meetings all day and all evening and listen to each other stories. At the end of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-prentiss/in-the-one-treatment-fits-all-approach-clients-sit-in-group-meetings/) [Chris Prentiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-prentiss/) > [“I have met and listened to a very large number of people who have “failed” at AA and some who continue to swear by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lance-dodes/i-have-met-and-listened-to-a-very-large-number-of-people-who-have/) [Lance Dodes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lance-dodes/) > [“The degradation woven through these steps also seems unwittingly designed to exacerbate, rather than relieve, the humiliating feelings so common in addiction. If moral…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lance-dodes/the-degradation-woven-through-these-steps-also-seems-unwittingly/) [Lance Dodes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lance-dodes/) > [“...one of the primary differences between alcoholics and nonalcoholics is that nonalcoholics change their behavior to meet their goals and alcoholics change their goals…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alcoholics-anonymous/one-of-the-primary-differences-between-alcoholics-and-nonalcoholics/) [Alcoholics Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alcoholics-anonymous/) > [“I've been benefited from a dictionary definition I found that reads: "Rationalization is giving a socially acceptable reason for socially unacceptable behavior, and socially…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alcoholics-anonymous/i-ve-been-benefited-from-a-dictionary-definition-i-found-that-reads/) [Alcoholics Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alcoholics-anonymous/) > [“They sound like the philosophy of a man who, having a headache, beats himself on the head with a hammer so that he cannot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alcoholics-anonymous/they-sound-like-the-philosophy-of-a-man-who-having-a-headache-beats/) [Alcoholics Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alcoholics-anonymous/) > [“We should be sensible, tactful, considerate and humble without being servile or scraping. As God's people we stand on our feet; we don't crawl…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alcoholics-anonymous/we-should-be-sensible-tactful-considerate-and-humble-without-being/) [Alcoholics Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alcoholics-anonymous/) > [“Although I hate to read publicly, I began to get addicted to speaking publicly. For a grandiose opportunist like myself, AA can become a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-nichols/although-i-hate-to-read-publicly-i-began-to-get-addicted-to-speaking/) Jeff Nichols > [“AA purports to be open to anyone, as it is stated in Tradition Tree, "The only requirement for AA membership is a desire to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-prentiss/aa-purports-to-be-open-to-anyone-as-it-is-stated-in-tradition-tree/) [Chris Prentiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-prentiss/) Browse all 50 Aa quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“First of all, we had to quit playing God. It didn't work.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Alcoholics Anonymous" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alcoholics-anonymous/first-of-all-we-had-to-quit-playing-god-it-didn-t-work/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Aa" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alcoholics-anonymous/first-of-all-we-had-to-quit-playing-god-it-didn-t-work/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca9/alcoholics-anonymous-4926_aa_first-of-all-we-had-to-quit-playing-god_2167854.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca9/alcoholics-anonymous-4926_aa_first-of-all-we-had-to-quit-playing-god_2167854.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca9/alcoholics-anonymous-4926_aa_first-of-all-we-had-to-quit-playing-god_2167854.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“First of all, we had to quit playing God. It didn't work.” — Alcoholics Anonymous", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Alcoholics Anonymous", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alcoholics-anonymous/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“First of all, we had to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alcoholics-anonymous/first-of-all-we-had-to-quit-playing-god-it-didn-t-work/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alcoholics-anonymous/first-of-all-we-had-to-quit-playing-god-it-didn-t-work/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```