Serenity (Acceptance)
Acknowledging that we cannot control other people, the past, or external circumstances. In recovery, this often means accepting the reality of the addiction itself.
The Serenity Prayer (AA)
0:000:13
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.
The Full Text and Extended Serenity Prayer
(Attributed to Reinhold Niebuhr)
0:000:54
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 hardships 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 things right
If I surrender to His Will;
So that I may be reasonably happy in this life
And supremely happy with Him
Forever and ever in the next.
Amen.
The History of the Serenity Prayer
Who Wrote the Serenity Prayer?
The Serenity Prayer is most commonly attributed to Reinhold Niebuhr, an American theologian who lived from 1892 to 1971. His daughter, Elisabeth Sifton, defended that attribution in her book The Serenity Prayer: Faith and Politics in Times of Peace and War, which recounts how her father composed the prayer for a church service in Heath, Massachusetts, in 1943, against the backdrop of the Great Depression, the rise of fascism, and the moral crises of the era. Niebuhr is widely credited with shaping the prayer in the form that became famous, though the exact history of the wording has been debated by scholars.
Why the Authorship Is Debated
Fred R. Shapiro, editor of The New Yale Book of Quotations, conducted some of the most detailed research on the prayer’s origins. His work first drew wide attention in 2008, when The New York Times reported that he had found close versions of the prayer in print as far back as 1936, years before the prayer’s usual 1943 date, raising doubt about a simple, single-author story. In his later research, summarized by Yale, Shapiro identified Winnifred Wygal, a YWCA official and associate of Niebuhr, as the earliest known person to put a recognizable form of the prayer in print, dating her use to 1933. Niebuhr remains the traditional attribution, and the wording likely developed through both of their influence.
How the Serenity Prayer Became Part of AA
The prayer entered Alcoholics Anonymous in the early 1940s. According to AA’s own historical account, an early member named Jack C. brought in a newspaper clipping from the New York Herald Tribune. The prayer resonated immediately with the people in AA’s New York office. Bill Wilson, AA’s co-founder, later wrote that "never had we seen so much A.A. in so few words." AA began printing the prayer on small wallet-sized cards to include in outgoing mail. During World War II, with Niebuhr’s permission the prayer was printed on cards for American service members. Niebuhr’s wife, Ursula, recalled in AA’s historical account that a friend and neighbor, Howard Chandler Robbins, first had it reprinted in a bulletin of the Federal Council of Churches — the body that in 1950 became the National Council of Churches — and that "the USO or some such organization asked for the use of it, and copies were printed, I believe, in the millions."
Why There Are Short and Long Versions
Most people in recovery know the short version: brief, memorable, and easy to say in a meeting. Longer versions include additional lines about living one day at a time, accepting hardship as the pathway to peace, and trusting that surrender leads to lasting happiness. The short version became standard in AA because it was simple, portable, and powerful enough to be printed on a card and recalled in difficult moments. The long version gives the prayer a fuller spiritual setting.
Researched and written by the SoberHub team · Last reviewed
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About this prayer
A Guide to the Serenity Prayer for Recovery
Whether you are newly sober, navigating a difficult moment, or a long-time member of a 12-step fellowship, the Serenity Prayer is a steadying thing to have by heart.
Usually credited to theologian Reinhold Niebuhr and in circulation by the 1930s, the prayer wasn’t originally written for addiction treatment. However, its core message matched the work of getting sober. It breaks down the complexities of life into three parts:
Courage (Action)
Recognizing what is within our control—our reactions, our daily habits, our willingness to ask for help, and our commitment to working a program.
Wisdom (Discernment)
The clarity that comes from a sober mind, allowing us to pause before reacting and recognize the boundary between what is ours to fix and what is ours to release.
For decades the Serenity Prayer has served as a daily anchor, helping people face anxiety, cravings, and hard days without picking up a drink or a drug.
How the Prayer is Used in 12-Step Meetings
If you attend an Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), Narcotics Anonymous (NA), or Al-Anon meeting, you are almost guaranteed to hear the Serenity Prayer. It does a few things in the fellowship:
Opening and Closing
Many meetings open with a moment of silence and the Serenity Prayer to settle the room. Some also join hands to close with it.
In Moments of Crisis
Sponsors often advise sponsees to recite the prayer when they are facing a trigger, feeling overwhelmed, or experiencing a craving. It acts as a mental "reset" button.
Group Support
When a member shares a particularly difficult struggle during a meeting, the group will sometimes recite the prayer together in unison to show solidarity and support.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Did Reinhold Niebuhr really write the Serenity Prayer?
- He is the traditional author, and his daughter defended the attribution in a book that dates the prayer to a wartime church service in 1943. Quotation researcher Fred R. Shapiro, though, traced the earliest recognizable use in print to Winnifred Wygal, a YWCA colleague of Niebuhr’s — so the famous wording most likely took shape through both of them in the 1930s.
- How old is the Serenity Prayer, and how did AA get it?
- The earliest traceable uses date to the 1930s. It reached Alcoholics Anonymous in the early 1940s through a newspaper clipping brought into AA’s New York office; the fellowship began printing it on wallet-sized cards, and the USO distributed it to American soldiers during World War II.
- When is the Serenity Prayer said in meetings?
- Most meetings open with it after a moment of silence, and many circle up to close with it as well. Outside the rooms, sponsors suggest it as a reset during cravings or overwhelming moments, and a group will sometimes recite it in unison to support a member after a painful share.
- What is the difference between the short and extended versions?
- The short version ends at “the wisdom to know the difference” and became AA’s standard because it fits on a card and comes back to you in a hard moment. The extended version continues with lines about living one day at a time and accepting hardship as the pathway to peace — both full texts are on this page.