“God, give us grace to accept with serenity
the things that cannot be changed, courage
to change the things which should be changed,
and the wisdom to distinguish the one from the other.”

—  Reinhold Niebuhr

Niebuhr's preferred form, as declared by his widow
The Serenity Prayer (c. 1942)
Variant: God, give us grace to accept with serenity the things that cannot be changed, courage to change the things which should be changed, and the wisdom to distinguish the one from the other.

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Reinhold Niebuhr photo
Reinhold Niebuhr 65
American protestant theologian 1892–1971

Related quotes

Reinhold Niebuhr photo

“God, give us grace to accept with serenity
the things that cannot be changed,
courage to change the things
which should be changed,
and the wisdom to distinguish
the one from the other. Living one day at a time,
Enjoying one moment at a time,
Accepting hardship as a pathway to peace,
Taking, as Jesus did,
This sinful world as it is,
Not as I would have it,
Trusting that You will make all things right,
If I surrender to Your will,
So that I may be reasonably happy in this life,
And supremely happy with You forever in the next.
Amen.”

Reinhold Niebuhr (1892–1971) American protestant theologian

Full version of the original (ca. 1942)
The Serenity Prayer (c. 1942)

Reinhold Niebuhr photo

“God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change,
courage to change the things I can,
and the wisdom to know the difference.”

Reinhold Niebuhr (1892–1971) American protestant theologian

One of the most commonly quoted forms.
The Serenity Prayer (c. 1942)
Variant: Lord, grant me the strength to accept the things I cannot change,
he courage to change the things I can,
and the wisdom to know the difference.

Russell Brand photo

“Serenity is the first thing people with addiction issues are instructed to request: God, grant me the serenity To accept the things I cannot change, Courage to change the things I can, And the wisdom to know the difference.”

Russell Brand book Revolution

Revolution (2014)

Erik Naggum photo

“God grant me serenity to accept the code I cannot change, courage to change the code I can, and wisdom to know the difference.”

Erik Naggum (1965–2009) Norwegian computer programmer

Usenet signatures

Jennifer Weiner photo

“God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and the patience not to strangle my mother-in-law, chop her into little pieces, and dump them down a sewer.”

Jennifer Weiner (1970) American writer

Source: Little Earthquakes

Francis of Assisi photo

“Lord, grant me the strength to change the things I can, the serenity to deal with the things I cannot change, and the wisdom to know the difference.”

Francis of Assisi (1182–1226) Catholic saint and founder of the Franciscan Order

Widely known as The Serenity Prayer this has often been attributed to St. Francis, but earliest known forms of it appeared in the early 20th century, and it is generally credited to Reinhold Niebuhr.
Misattributed

Stephen King photo

“God grant me to SERENITY to accept what I cannot change the TENACITY to change what I may and the GOOD LUCK not to f*** up too often”

Stephen King book 'Salem's Lot

Source: 'Salem's Lot

Arundhati Roy photo

“Change is one thing. Acceptance is another.”

Arundhati Roy book The God of Small Things

Source: The God of Small Things

Robert Louis Stevenson photo

“The true wisdom is to be always seasonable, and to change with a good grace in changing circumstances.”

Robert Louis Stevenson (1850–1894) Scottish novelist, poet, essayist, and travel writer

Crabbed Age and Youth.
Virginibus Puerisque and Other Papers (1881)
Context: The true wisdom is to be always seasonable, and to change with a good grace in changing circumstances. To love playthings well as a child, to lead an adventurous and honourable youth, and to settle when the time arrives, into a green and smiling age, is to be a good artist in life and deserve well of yourself and your neighbour.

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