“God, grant me the serenity to accept…” – Reinhold Niebuhr

“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, the Serenity Prayer (c. 1932), popular version

What does it mean?

Some things you can change and some you can't. Stay calm about the first kind, act bravely on the second, and learn to tell them apart.

Reinhold Niebuhr: American theologian (1892–1971). Source: the Serenity Prayer (c. 1932), popular version.