The original Serenity Prayer by Reinhold Niebuhr

Reinhold Niebuhr (1892-1971) was a very infuential American theologian. He wrote what came to be known as the Serenity Prayer for a sermon, and used it in a variety of forms, including a longer-form poem. Below is the best-known version of it.

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, Courage to change the things I can,
And wisdom to know the difference.

— Reinhold Niebuhr

See also our version of it: Courage, Serenity & Wisdom.

See also our version of it: A mindful, proactive quest for serenity, courage & wisdom.


Reinhold Niebuhr’s poem:

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.
Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardship as the
pathway to peace.
Taking, as He did, this
sinful world as it is,
not as I would have it.
Trusting that He will make
all things right if I
surrender to His Will;

That I may be reasonably happy
in this life, and supremely
happy with Him forever in
the next.
Amen

Reinhold Niebuhr (1926)


See also our version of it: Serenity, courage & wisdom.