The Serenity Prayer

The Serenity Prayer God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change the courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference. —Reinhold Niebuhr, 1892-1971

History of the Serenity Prayer A version of the prayer was originally composed by Protestant theologian Reinhold Niebuhr in the early 1930s. Initially popularized by one of his colleagues, the prayer began to spread widely without reference to the original author. In 1962, Hallmark began using the prayer in its graduation cards, crediting Niebuhr. Posters and household ornaments were produced by others without attribution. The AA Prayer In June 1941, the prayer was published in an obituary in the New York Herald Tribune, and from here became known by the first Alcoholics Anonymous group. The organization embraced it and spread it widely. It was initially known within the group as "The AA prayer", but by the late 1940s, was known as "The Serenity Prayer." The following clauses were added in the AA Origin of the Serenity Prayer: A Historic Paper but were not part of the tripartite original. Niebuhr's daughter in her book The Serenity Prayer: Faith and Politics in Time of Peace and War said: "... their message and their tone are not in any way Niebuhrian." Living one day at a time, Enjoying one moment at a time, Accepting hardship as a 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.