<P> O God, give us the serenity to accept what cannot be changed, the courage to change what can be changed, and the wisdom to know the one from the other . </P> <P> Wygal was a longtime YWCA official and all early recorded usages were from women involved in volunteer or educational activities connected to the YWCA . </P> <P> The earliest printed reference, in 1936, mentions that during a speech, a Miss Mildred Pinkerton "quotes the prayer," as if to indicate it was already in a circulation known to the reporter, or that Pinkerton relayed it as a quote, without mentioning its authorship . A 1937 Christian student publication attributed the prayer to Niebuhr in the following form, which matches the other earliest published forms in requesting "courage to change" before petitioning for serenity: </P> <P> Father, give us courage to change what must be altered, serenity to accept what cannot be helped, and the insight to know the one from the other . </P>

God give the serenity to accept the things