Big Book Highlights: What to Mark and How to Revisit It

Highlight the Big Book by marking passages that clarify the problem, describe a spiritual or practical principle, suggest an action, raise an honest question or connect with your experience. Keep the system simple, add brief notes in your own words and return to selected passages on a regular but flexible schedule. The goal is not to color every important sentence. It is to create a useful record of what you noticed, questioned and may want to discuss or apply.

Reading and marking practices vary among A.A. members, sponsors and groups. Some readers use several colors and detailed notes; others underline sparingly or prefer an unmarked book. No single method is required, and highlighting is not a measure of commitment or progress.

Why Highlight the Big Book?

Highlighting can turn reading from a passive activity into a conversation with the text. Deciding whether a sentence deserves a mark requires you to pause and identify what it is doing.

A useful highlight might help you:

Find a passage for later discussion.
Separate descriptions from suggested actions.
Notice repeated themes across chapters.
Record questions without demanding immediate answers.
Compare your first response with a later reading.
Prepare for a conversation with a sponsor or reading group.
Build a small collection of passages relevant to daily reflection.

The marks are tools, not conclusions. A sentence that seems central today may feel different after more reading or lived experience. Likewise, a passage that initially appears unimportant may become meaningful later.

If you are beginning with the book as a whole, How to Read the AA Big Book: A Practical Starting Guide offers suggestions on pace, notes, audio and discussion.

What to Highlight in the Big Book

Instead of marking everything that sounds memorable, look for passages that perform a clear function. The following categories provide a practical starting point.

What to mark	What to look for	Helpful margin note
Description of the problem	Patterns, consequences, mental habits or loss of control	“Problem” or “pattern”
Proposed solution	Ideas about help, change, fellowship or spiritual practice	“Solution”
Suggested action	Something the reader is invited to consider or do	“Action”
Principle	Honesty, willingness, humility, service, responsibility or another value	Name the principle
Caution	A warning about avoidance, resentment, fear or self-deception	“Watch for this”
Question	Language you do not understand or are not ready to accept	Add a question mark
Personal connection	A passage that resembles part of your experience	“I recognize this”
Hope	A description of possibility, belonging or constructive change	“Hope”

Repeated ideas

Repetition often reveals the book’s structure. You might mark recurring references to honesty, willingness, fear, resentment, reliance, fellowship and helping others. When an idea appears again, note the earlier chapter where you encountered it rather than treating each occurrence as unrelated.

Actions and conditions

Watch for the difference between a description, a promise, a condition and an action. For example, a paragraph may describe a difficulty before introducing a suggested response. Marking those functions separately can prevent an encouraging line from being detached from its surrounding argument.

Passages that create resistance

Do not highlight only what feels agreeable. A question mark beside difficult wording can be more useful than a bright mark beside an immediately comforting sentence. Resistance may come from disagreement, unfamiliar spiritual language, dated assumptions or uncertainty about how an idea applies.

A note such as “What does this mean in practice?” leaves room for thought without forcing agreement.

Build a Simple Highlighting System

A complicated color code often looks appealing at first but becomes difficult to maintain. Begin with two or three categories and add another only when you repeatedly need it.

One workable system is:

Yellow: central ideas or passages to remember.
Blue: suggested actions and practices.
Green: hope, fellowship and constructive change.
Pencil mark: questions, disagreement or language to discuss.

You could also avoid colors entirely:

Single underline for a key idea.
Double underline for an action.
Box around a word that needs clarification.
Star for a passage to revisit.
Question mark for uncertainty.

Place a small key inside the front cover so that the system remains consistent. If you use a digital edition, keep the same categories in its highlighting and note tools.

Before marking a borrowed or shared copy, ask permission. Removable flags or a separate notebook are better choices for books belonging to a library, meeting space or another reader.

How to Add Notes That Remain Useful

The most helpful notes are usually short. Long reactions can go in a notebook, while the margin holds enough information to recover the thought later.

Try one of these note forms:

Summary: Restate the paragraph in a few words.
Connection: Identify another chapter or Step that addresses the same theme.
Question: Write what you would like to ask.
Example: Add a brief personal example without recording sensitive details.
Action: Name one specific practice suggested by the passage.
Date: Record when the passage became significant to you.

Writing in your own words matters. Copying another person’s interpretation may be helpful as a reference, but distinguishing it from your own response prevents confusion later. You might use initials or a symbol to identify an idea heard in a meeting, from a sponsor or during group study.

Protect your privacy as well. Books can be misplaced or seen by others. Keep detailed personal history, medical information and other people’s private stories in a secure journal rather than a book margin.

A Three-Pass Method for Each Chapter

A staged approach helps prevent overmarking.

First pass: read for the overall movement

Read a section without highlighting, or mark only one or two lines. Ask what the chapter is trying to explain and how its main sections connect.

Second pass: mark structure and substance

Return with your chosen system. Identify the problem being discussed, the response being proposed, any suggested actions and questions you want to explore.

Third pass: write a brief chapter note

At the end of the chapter, record:

The main idea in one sentence.
One passage to revisit.
One question for discussion.
One idea that may have practical relevance.

Readers studying the book’s main chapters may also find The First 164 Pages of the Big Book: Meaning and Guide useful for understanding their sequence and scope.

How to Revisit Your Highlights

Highlights become more useful when they are reviewed selectively. You do not need to reread every mark at once.

Use a short review rhythm

A flexible schedule might include:

After reading: Review the marked lines and choose the most important one.
At the end of a chapter: Summarize the pattern formed by your marks.
Once a week: Return to one action, question and hopeful passage.
After several months: Notice which early marks still seem central and which now need context.

If a fixed schedule becomes burdensome, attach review to an existing routine, such as before a weekly group or sponsor conversation. The aim is continuity, not a perfect streak. How to Build a Daily Big Book Reading Habit includes additional ideas for creating a realistic reading cue and returning after missed days.

Read beyond the highlighted sentence

Always reread the surrounding paragraph or section. A highlighted line can appear to say something different when removed from its example, condition or explanation. Reading before and after the mark helps preserve context.

Compare old and new reactions

Use a date, a second pencil color or a new notebook entry rather than erasing your earlier response. Then ask:

Has my understanding changed?
Do I still agree with my original note?
What additional context do I see now?
Did I mark an attractive phrase while overlooking its condition or action?
Is this still a live question?

Changing your interpretation is not a failure. It is one reason to preserve earlier notes.

Using Highlights With a Sponsor or Group

Highlights can provide a focused starting point for conversation. Rather than arriving with an entire chapter to discuss, choose two or three passages and explain why you marked them.

Useful discussion openings include:

“I understand the first part, but not the conclusion.”
“I marked this as an action. How do you read it?”
“This wording creates resistance for me.”
“I see this theme in another chapter.”
“What context am I missing?”

A sponsor, group member or meeting participant may offer experience rather than a final interpretation. Different members may read the same passage differently because of background, belief, culture and stage of familiarity with the text. Respectful study allows those differences without requiring everyone to adopt one marking system or conclusion.

For a structured group conversation, use the prompts in Big Book Study Questions for a Thoughtful Reading Group.

Common Highlighting Problems

Highlighting too much

If nearly every line is marked, the page no longer shows priority. Limit yourself to one or two marks per page during the first pass. You can add more later.

Marking only familiar sayings

Frequently repeated lines may be useful, but surrounding paragraphs often explain their meaning. Mark the supporting argument or action as well as the memorable sentence.

Treating another person’s marks as rules

A sponsor or experienced member may share a helpful system, but their emphasis reflects their reading. Use it as an invitation to look more closely, not as proof that every reader must mark the same passages.

Confusing highlighting with application

A marked action has not automatically become a practiced action. Where appropriate, turn the highlight into a question for reflection or discussion. Decisions involving health, safety, trauma, legal matters or major relationships may also require qualified professional support rather than relying only on fellowship literature.

Losing the purpose of the colors

If you cannot remember what each color means, simplify. A sustainable two-color system is more useful than an elaborate method you abandon.

Reflection Questions for Your Next Review

Which three highlights best represent this chapter?
What did I mark as a suggested action, and what context surrounds it?
Which passage raised the strongest reaction in me?
Have I confused a personal interpretation with the text itself?
What recurring theme connects this chapter with earlier reading?
Which question would be useful to bring to a sponsor or group?
What can remain unresolved for now?

Conclusion

Effective Big Book highlighting is selective, personal and open to revision. Mark central ideas, actions, principles, questions and connections; keep your code simple; and revisit each selection in context. Your marked copy does not need to resemble anyone else’s. Its value lies in helping you read carefully, remember honestly and return with fresh attention.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What color should I use to highlight the Big Book?

There is no standard or required color system. Yellow for central ideas and blue for actions is a simple starting point, but one pencil or digital highlight color can work just as well. Choose a method you can remember and use consistently.

2. Is it disrespectful to write in the Big Book?

Many readers write in personal copies as part of study, while others prefer to keep the pages unmarked. Both approaches can be respectful. Do not mark a borrowed, library or group-owned copy without permission.

3. How much should I highlight on each page?

There is no fixed amount, but limiting the first pass to one or two selections per page encourages discernment. If an entire paragraph matters, bracket it rather than coloring every line. You can add marks during later readings.

4. Should I copy a sponsor’s highlighting system?

You may try it if it helps, but it is not necessary to reproduce another person’s marks. Ask what their categories mean, then adapt the method to your own reading needs. Sponsor practices and interpretations vary.

5. How often should I revisit my Big Book highlights?

A brief weekly review and a chapter review every few months can be useful, but the schedule should remain manageable. You might also revisit marks before a group discussion, during Step study or when a recurring theme becomes relevant. Always reread the surrounding text rather than relying on the highlighted sentence alone.