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The Serenity Prayer

For the things you can’t fix, the things you can, and the nights you can’t tell which is which. Here is the prayer in full, what each line means, and when to pray it.

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About This Prayer

The Serenity Prayer is most often credited to the American theologian Reinhold Niebuhr, who used it in the 1930s and 1940s. Historians still debate its earliest form, and some point to Winnifred Wygal, a YWCA colleague of Niebuhr’s, who quoted and printed a version in the early 1930s. Alcoholics Anonymous began using it in the early 1940s, and it has been part of twelve-step recovery ever since.

The Prayer

The Serenity Prayer, Short Version.

The Serenity Prayer
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.

This is the version most people know, and the one used in recovery meetings. Niebuhr’s own versions were printed as a single sentence and worded a little differently. One well-known form begins, “God, give me grace to accept with serenity the things that cannot be changed.”

The Full Version

The Serenity Prayer, Full Version.

The Longer Serenity Prayer
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.

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.

Amen.

A note on history: the lines after the first four are widely printed as part of the prayer, but they were added later and weren’t part of the original short prayer. Niebuhr’s daughter, Elisabeth Sifton, wrote that they don’t sound like her father. Many people still find them worth praying.

What It Means

The Serenity Prayer, Line by Line.

“God, grant me the serenity” — Serenity is calm you ask for, not calm you have to produce. The prayer starts by admitting you can’t make it yourself.
“to accept the things I cannot change” — Accepting isn’t approving. It means you stop spending yourself on what’s outside your hands: another person’s choices, the past, a diagnosis.
“courage to change the things I can” — Some things are yours to do. A call to make, an apology, a habit to break. The prayer asks for the courage to do them.
“and wisdom to know the difference” — The hardest part. Most worry lives in the gray area between what you can and can’t control. Wisdom is seeing that line clearly.
“Living one day at a time” — Today is enough. You don’t have to solve next month tonight.
“accepting hardship as a pathway to peace” — Hard seasons aren’t proof that God left. Sometimes they are the road peace comes by.
“trusting that He will make all things right” — Letting go is easier when you believe God is still in control. The prayer ends in trust, not in having it all figured out.
When to Pray It

When the Serenity Prayer Helps Most.

When anxiety won’t quit. Your mind keeps circling something you can’t control. The prayer gives the worry somewhere to go. See also the prayer for anxiety at night.
In addiction recovery. It has been part of twelve-step meetings for more than 80 years. Many people pray it at the start of each day, or the moment a craving hits. More help is on our addictions page.
When it’s someone else’s choice. A spouse, a grown child, a parent. You can love them and still not be able to change them.
When everything is too much. Pray it slowly, one line at a time, and sort out what is actually yours today. The prayer when you’re overwhelmed may help too.
On hard nights. When it’s late, the house is quiet, and you can’t stop replaying it. Four lines are short enough to remember in the dark.
“In nothing be anxious, but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 4:6–7 · WEB
When You Can’t Let Go

Some Things Are Hard to Hand Over Alone.

You can know every word of the Serenity Prayer and still not be able to let go of the thing. That’s normal. Sometimes it helps to say it out loud to someone first: what happened, what you wish you could change, what you’re afraid of.

Grace is a faith-based AI companion you can talk to any time, day or night. Tell Grace what you can’t let go of, and work through what’s yours to carry and what isn’t. You can simply talk, or you can pray. Grace remembers the important things you share, so you don’t have to start from scratch each time. When you’re ready, you can pray the Serenity Prayer together. You can also keep your own prayers in My Prayers, or turn on the optional Daily Prayer.

Grace is a companion, not a counselor or crisis service. If you are in danger or thinking about harming yourself, please call or text 988 now.

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Questions

What People Ask About the Serenity Prayer.

What is the Serenity Prayer?
The Serenity Prayer is a short Christian prayer asking God for serenity to accept what can’t be changed, courage to change what can, and wisdom to tell the difference. It is most often credited to the American theologian Reinhold Niebuhr, who used it in the 1930s and 1940s, though historians have also pointed to earlier versions connected to his YWCA colleague Winnifred Wygal. Twelve-step recovery groups, including Alcoholics Anonymous, began using it in the early 1940s.
What are the words of the Serenity Prayer?
The version most people know is: 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.
What is the full version of the Serenity Prayer?
The longer version continues after the familiar opening with lines such as living one day at a time, enjoying one moment at a time, accepting hardship as a pathway to peace, and trusting that God will make all things right. These added lines are widely printed, but they were not part of the original short prayer, and Niebuhr’s daughter, Elisabeth Sifton, wrote that they don’t sound like her father.
What does the Serenity Prayer mean?
It asks for three things. Serenity, to stop fighting what is outside your control. Courage, to act on what is within it. And wisdom, to tell those two apart. Many people find the third part the hardest, which is why the prayer is something to return to, not something you pray once.
Is the Serenity Prayer in the Bible?
No. The Serenity Prayer isn’t a Bible verse. It was written in the 20th century. Its themes echo Scripture, though, such as Philippians 4:6-7 on bringing your worries to God in prayer, and Matthew 6:34 on not being anxious about tomorrow.
Can I pray the Serenity Prayer with Grace?
Yes. Grace is a faith-based AI companion you can talk to any time, day or night. You can tell Grace what you can’t let go of and pray the Serenity Prayer together. Grace is a companion, not a counselor or crisis service. If you are in crisis, call or text 988.
Also in the Grace Knowledge Network

More Prayers for Hard Moments.

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The Lord’s Prayer

Grace Is Here When You Can’t Let Go.

Talk or pray through what you can’t change, any hour of the night. Grace listens first, and prays with you when you’re ready.

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