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.
-Author Disputed
The New York Times recently ran a great article that discusses the disputed authorship of the Serenity Prayer. For more than 70 years, the authorship was attributed to Protestant theologian Reinhold Niebuhr and first uttered it during an “ordinary Sunday service” in 1943. However a number of different, but very similar, versions appeared in newspaper column archives and books of quotations prior to that date.
Of course, it’s entirely possible that Niebuhr genuinely thought he was the author. He’s universally regarded as a moral man of impeccable character. Even if he is not the prayer’s original author, the consensus is that his authorship claims were honest and genuine. Niebuhr wrote of the controversy:
“Of course, it may have been spooking around for years, even centuries, but I don’t think so. I honestly do believe that I wrote it myself.”
In case you’re wondering, the first author remains unknown, but all previous refences are from women.
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