Serenity Prayer

E480392

The Serenity Prayer is a widely known Christian prayer asking for serenity, courage, and wisdom, often associated with recovery movements and attributed to theologian Reinhold Niebuhr.

Jump to: Statements Referenced by

Statements (46)

Predicate Object
instanceOf Christian prayer
prayer
addressedTo God NERFINISHED
associatedWith Protestantism NERFINISHED
addiction recovery
pastoral counseling
self-help literature
circulatedAs anonymous prayer
commonlyAttributedTo Reinhold Niebuhr NERFINISHED
culturalImpact printed on plaques and greeting cards
used in religious services
used in support group meetings
widely quoted in popular culture
function petition to God
genre collect-style prayer
hasLongForm extended prose version
hasShortForm three-line version
keyConcept acceptance
discernment
personal responsibility
trust in divine guidance
language English
medium oral tradition
printed text
misattributedTo various anonymous authors
notablePhrase courage to change the things I can
serenity to accept the things I cannot change
wisdom to know the difference
openingWords God, grant me the serenity
popularizedIn United States NERFINISHED
possibleAuthor Reinhold Niebuhr NERFINISHED
primaryThemes courage
serenity
wisdom
purpose seeking acceptance of unchangeable things
seeking courage to change things
seeking wisdom to distinguish between changeable and unchangeable things
religiousTradition Christianity
structure short formulaic prayer
theologicalEmphasis divine assistance
human limitation
moral decision-making
timeOfComposition early 20th century
usedBy 12-step programs
Alcoholics Anonymous NERFINISHED
recovery movements

Referenced by (1)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Reinhold Niebuhr authorOf Serenity Prayer