---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The story is even Bill Wilson, a founder…"
description: "\"“The story is even Bill Wilson, a founder of Alcoholics Anonymous, couldn't overcome the sex monkey on his back, and spent his sober life cheating on h..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd7/anonymous-1_alcoholics-anonymous_the-story-is-even-bill-wilson-a-founder_3216181.jpg"
---

#  The story is even Bill Wilson, a founder of Alcoholics…

![“The story is even Bill Wilson, a founder of Alcoholics Anonymous, couldn't overcome the sex monkey on his back, and spent his sober life cheating on his wife and filled with guilt.” quote by Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd7/anonymous-1_alcoholics-anonymous_the-story-is-even-bill-wilson-a-founder_3216181.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd7/anonymous-1_alcoholics-anonymous_the-story-is-even-bill-wilson-a-founder_3216181.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd7/anonymous-1_alcoholics-anonymous_the-story-is-even-bill-wilson-a-founder_3216181.jpg)

> ““The story is even Bill Wilson, a founder of Alcoholics Anonymous, couldn't overcome the sex monkey on his back, and spent his sober life cheating on his wife and filled with guilt.””

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Bill Wilson, despite founding AA, struggled with compulsive sexual behavior, leading to infidelity and guilt throughout his sober life.

**In simple terms:** Even strong leaders can battle hidden addictions.

Key Takeaway

Acknowledge hidden struggles and seek honest help.

Themes

addiction guilt hypocrisy personal failure

Mood

somber reflective

Type

cautionary psychological

When to use this quote

- personal counseling
- support groups
- accountability partners
- self‑reflection

Key Concepts

compulsive behavior self‑deception recovery challenges

Questions to Reflect On

- What hidden habits might you overlook?
- How can you create safe accountability?

A Different Perspective

Recovery is ongoing; relapse can occur despite external success.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Marriage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marriage/)

## Related quotes

> [“influence on the development of AA was substantial. As Bill Wilson wrote in Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, “The important thing is this: the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/influence-on-the-development-of-aa-was-substantial-as-bill-wilson/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [For any addict, when you get sober, life becomes more challenging, in some ways, because all of your problems become very clear and you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-elizabeth-winstead/for-any-addict-when-you-get-sober-life-becomes-more-challenging-in/)

[Mary Elizabeth Winstead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-elizabeth-winstead/)

> [I'm totally clean and sober my whole life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/i-m-totally-clean-and-sober-my-whole-life/)

[Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/)

> [I feel very blessed that at a young age I was able to navigate my battle with drug and alcohol addiction, and through recovery…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cara-santana/i-feel-very-blessed-that-at-a-young-age-i-was-able-to-navigate-my/)

[Cara Santana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cara-santana/)

> [Deluded liberal that I am, I persist in thinking that those with a streak of sexual unorthodoxy ought to be more tolerant of their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-bennett/deluded-liberal-that-i-am-i-persist-in-thinking-that-those-with-a/)

[Alan Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-bennett/)

> [Fear is the darkroom where negatives are developed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/fear-is-the-darkroom-where-negatives-are-developed/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“I think resentment is when you take the poison and wait for the other person to die”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-think-resentment-is-when-you-take-the-poison-and-wait-for-the-other/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“On December 11,1934, Wilson’s drinking came to a screeching halt. On that day he was readmitted to Towns Hospital, sedated, and subjected to Dr.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bufe/on-december-11-1934-wilson-s-drinking-came-to-a-screeching-halt-on/)

[Charles Bufe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bufe/)

> [“In 1935, when there were no other programs, the founders of AA, Bill Wilson and Dr. Robert Smith, stepped up to the plate and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-prentiss/in-1935-when-there-were-no-other-programs-the-founders-of-aa-bill/)

[Chris Prentiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-prentiss/)

> [There were a number of books about Bill Wilson, and by him, but a lot of the basic biographical tasks had not been done.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cheever/there-were-a-number-of-books-about-bill-wilson-and-by-him-but-a-lot/)

[Susan Cheever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-cheever/)

> [The program of A.A., as written by Bill Wilson and Dr. Smith, only has one purpose: to get you sober. That's it. To make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cheever/the-program-of-a-a-as-written-by-bill-wilson-and-dr-smith-only-has/)

[Susan Cheever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-cheever/)

> [“...the founders of our nation were nearly all Infidels, and that of the presidents who had thus far been elected { George Washington ,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bird-wilson/the-founders-of-our-nation-were-nearly-all-infidels-and-that-of-the/)

Bird Wilson

> [“...each part of a story, each word if possible, was to work frontally as well as laterally... ("Conveyance: The Story I would Not Want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-wilson/each-part-of-a-story-each-word-if-possible-was-to-work-frontally-as/)

[William S. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-wilson/)

> [“You might say as you tirelessly said of my stories, at least of the adjectives, that I should render the evidence, not render the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-wilson/you-might-say-as-you-tirelessly-said-of-my-stories-at-least-of-the/)

[William S. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-wilson/)

> [“Comparisons deplete the actuality of the things compared... ("Conveyance: The Story I would Not Want Bill Wilson To Read")”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-wilson/comparisons-deplete-the-actuality-of-the-things-compared-conveyance/)

[William S. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-wilson/)

## More by Anonymous

> [And a tear rolled down her cheek, as she said goodbye; because she's walking away, and she's never looking back](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/and-a-tear-rolled-down-her-cheek-as-she-said-goodbye-because-she-s/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Scrabble - The game is available in Braille. That’s a nice fact. This makes me feel better about humanity for some reason. I can’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/scrabble-the-game-is-available-in-braille-that-s-a-nice-fact-this/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Everyone needs someone to love, and I choose you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/everyone-needs-someone-to-love-and-i-choose-you/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Put on my J's and dance the whole night away Im naughty by nature like Im hip-hop hooray With my hands in the sky,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/put-on-my-j-s-and-dance-the-whole-night-away-im-naughty-by-nature/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Me.. I have been through a lot, but I still manage to have a smile on my face. Im not worried about the past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/me-i-have-been-through-a-lot-but-i-still-manage-to-have-a-smile-on-my/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Distance is a test of love. many will fail for those who can't withstand it, but for those who can, theres only one answer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/distance-is-a-test-of-love-many-will-fail-for-those-who-can-t/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Im sorry I ever tried...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/im-sorry-i-ever-tried/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Being betrayed by the one you love is the worst feeling in the world...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-betrayed-by-the-one-you-love-is-the-worst-feeling-in-the-world/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [The only person I've ever purposely caused pain here is myself...By simply sharing, caring too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-only-person-i-ve-ever-purposely-caused-pain-here-is-myself-by/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“Start a business, not a startup”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/start-a-business-not-a-startup/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [The truth is, of course, that the curtness of the Ten Commandments is an evidence, not of the gloom and narrowness of a religion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-truth-is-of-course-that-the-curtness-of-the-ten-commandments-is/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

[Explore all 162,899 Anonymous quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

## More Alcoholics anonymous 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/)

> [I feel that people who haven't read my books and haven't heard me lecture - who don't in fact know what my work is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/i-feel-that-people-who-haven-t-read-my-books-and-haven-t-heard-me/)

[Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/)

> [I know why we're here. We're all here because we're not all there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-tyler/i-know-why-we-re-here-we-re-all-here-because-we-re-not-all-there/)

[Steven Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-tyler/)

> [If you find a path with no obstacles, it likely leads nowhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-devrye/if-you-find-a-path-with-no-obstacles-it-likely-leads-nowhere/)

[Catherine DeVrye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-devrye/)

> [“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/)

> [Treat every moment as a gift, that is why it is called the present.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/treat-every-moment-as-a-gift-that-is-why-it-is-called-the-present/)

[Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/)

> [“Hit the bottom and get back up; or hit the bottle and stay down.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-liccione/hit-the-bottom-and-get-back-up-or-hit-the-bottle-and-stay-down/)

[Anthony Liccione](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-liccione/)

> [“The day I became free of alcohol was the day that I fully understood and embraced the truth that I would not be giving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-hemingway/the-day-i-became-free-of-alcohol-was-the-day-that-i-fully-understood/)

Liz Hemingway

> [“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 hardly ever went to the AA \[alcoholics anonymous\] meetings. I’ve just never felt comfortable in those places. It’s my worst zone. I’ll get… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ozzy-osbourne/i-hardly-ever-went-to-the-aa-alcoholics-anonymous-meetings-i-ve-just/)

[Ozzy Osbourne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ozzy-osbourne/)

> [“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/)

> [When I finally embraced abstinence it was because of the simple urge to work a longer day. Thus, without joining Alcoholics Anonymous, I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-james/when-i-finally-embraced-abstinence-it-was-because-of-the-simple-urge/)

[Clive James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-james/)

> [It must never be forgotten that the purpose of Alcoholics Anonymous is to sober up alcoholics. There is no religious or spiritual requirement for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-w/it-must-never-be-forgotten-that-the-purpose-of-alcoholics-anonymous/)

[Bill W](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-w/)

> [I look up the telephone number of Alcoholics Anonymous. Then, my hands shaking, I open the bar and drink the leftover whiskey, gin and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cheever/i-look-up-the-telephone-number-of-alcoholics-anonymous-then-my-hands/)

[John Cheever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cheever/)

Browse all 69 Alcoholics anonymous quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“The story is even Bill Wilson, a founder of Alcoholics Anonymous, couldn't overcome the sex monkey on his back, and spent his sober life cheating on his wife and filled with guilt.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Anonymous"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-story-is-even-bill-wilson-a-founder-of-alcoholics-anonymous/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Alcoholics anonymous"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-story-is-even-bill-wilson-a-founder-of-alcoholics-anonymous/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd7/anonymous-1_alcoholics-anonymous_the-story-is-even-bill-wilson-a-founder_3216181.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd7/anonymous-1_alcoholics-anonymous_the-story-is-even-bill-wilson-a-founder_3216181.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd7/anonymous-1_alcoholics-anonymous_the-story-is-even-bill-wilson-a-founder_3216181.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The story is even Bill Wilson, a founder of Alcoholics Anonymous, couldn't overcome the sex monkey on his…” — 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": "Anonymous",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“The story is even Bill Wilson,...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-story-is-even-bill-wilson-a-founder-of-alcoholics-anonymous/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-story-is-even-bill-wilson-a-founder-of-alcoholics-anonymous/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
