Hee hee, Steven, your girlfriend is of a nationality that knows nothing less than absolute rigorous honesty

For certain cultures, the "nice nice" kind of avoiding offense in America (perhaps other nations, I know not) is considered downright untrustworthy.
But as to the question -- for me the really interesting part of this quote is what follows it: "Their chances are less than average. There are those, too, who suffer from grave emotional and mental disorders, but many of them do recover if they have the capacity to be honest."
A less than average chance was something I aspired to -- any chance was better than the no chance I had before

But check it out -- I most probably did have the capacity to be honest, even if I wasn't completely honest at the start, because I am a poster child for those who come to AA with grave emotional disorders. After 17 years the honesty brought me to my first 4th step inventory, and rescued me from a den of misperceptions.
I discovered then how much I had been lying about myself TO myself, especially the hysterical "I have no resentments" HA HA HA HA . . . .
So I am not sure that I am completely honest with myself, because to be sure in that regard, I would have to discount the possibility that I am fooling myself in some way today, whereas my experience in recovery has demonstrated without a doubt that YES, I was lying to myself without knowing it. Not that I was so clever to hide it, but I was just that clueless about how that works.
I don't think that just because I have put the steps into practice in my life that I am immune to self-deception. So I stay open to others, I stop poo-pooing what others say, I listen to my critics, I take time to share how I really feel so as to welcome feedback.
Rigorous honesty? No alcoholic is safe from this disease, in my humble opinion, and protesting the perfection of one's own honesty is just another self-deception. We are all capable of drinking again, unless we follow the instructions in the Big Book throughout our lives. That doesn't mean that we put checkmarks beside things that say "Rigourous honesty" (Check! Got that!) and then pick apart someone else's take on that principle. It MEANS:
We constantly look at our own motives.
We constantly recognize our weaknesses (pride, fear, you know them by now)
We constantly agree with the statement, wholeheartedly and from the bottom of our hearts, "I could be wrong."
Read the entire book. We are not saints.
Ann