"God, give us grace to accept with serenity the things that cannot be changed, courage to change the things which should be changed, and the wisdom to distinguish the one from the other."
— Reinhold Niebuhr

January 1, 1970

Quote Details

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Added on April 10, 2026
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Academics from the United StatesNon-fiction authors from the United StatesProtestants from the United StatesChristian existentialistsTheologians from Missouri
Original Language: English
Available Translations (1)
German: "Gott gebe mir die Gelassenheit, Dinge hinzunehmen, die ich nicht ändern kann, den Mut, Dinge zu ändern, die ich ändern kann, und die Weisheit, das eine vom anderen zu unterscheiden."

Sources

Niebuhr's preferred form, as declared by his widow

https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Reinhold_Niebuhr

Niebuhr's preferred form, as declared by his widow