<P> The Serenity Prayer will be listed under Niebuhr's name in the next edition of the Yale Book of Quotations, whose author Fred R. Shapiro had first raised doubts about, but was later instrumental in confirming Niebuhr's authorship . </P> <P> Numerous statements of more or less similar sentiments by other authors have been identified and it is likely that more will be found . The prayer has also been falsely attributed to a variety of other authors . </P> <P> Epictetus wrote: "Make the best use of what is in your power, and take the rest as it happens . Some things are up to us (eph' hêmin) and some things are not up to us . Our opinions are up to us, and our impulses, desires, aversions--in short, whatever is our own doing . Our bodies are not up to us, nor are our possessions, our reputations, or our public offices, or, that is, whatever is not our own doing ." </P> <P> The 8th - century Indian Buddhist scholar Shantideva of the ancient Nalanda University suggested: </P>

Lord give me strength for things i cannot change