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God, give me grace to accept with serenity the things that cannot be changed.
Reinhold Niebuhr
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Interpretation

What this quote means

This quote emphasizes the importance of accepting what we cannot change with tranquility and grace.

Reinhold Niebuhr's quote is a powerful reminder of the necessity to embrace acceptance when faced with unchangeable circumstances. It speaks to the human experience of grappling with frustration and sorrow over things beyond our control, urging us instead to find peace and resilience in our reactions. By asking for grace, it highlights the spiritual or emotional strength required to let go and move forward in life.

Themes

AcceptanceSerenityChangeGraceResilience

In practice

Example use cases

In a motivational speech about overcoming challenges, one might say, 'Remember, as Niebuhr said, to ask for the grace to accept the things we cannot change.'

More from Reinhold Niebuhr

Religion is so frequently a source of confusion in political life, and so frequently dangerous to democracy, precisely because it introduces absolutes into the realm of relative values.
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The tendency to claim God as an ally for our partisan value and ends is the source of all religious fanaticism.
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The mastery of nature is vainly believed to be an adequate substitute for self mastery.
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All you earnest young men out to save the world. . . please, have a laugh.
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Forgiveness is the final form of love.
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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. This prayer was first printed in a monthly bulletin of the Federal Council of Churches and has become enormously popular. It has been circulated in millions of copies.
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