Serenity Prayer Without God, For Atheists And Seculars

✅ Today's Saturday • 📖 6 mins read

— By Dr. Sandip Roy.

The Serenity Prayer is well-known for helping people stay calm and strong during tough times.

It teaches you to control your thoughts. Reciting it lets you focus on what you can change, rather than getting pulled by directionless thoughts.

Since it works so well, therapists often suggest it to help people accept things and take action. It has been famously integrated into the 12-step program of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). It has worked well to help members stop drinking and stay sober.

What if you don’t follow a religion? Is there a non-religious, atheist version of the Serenity Prayer that works for people of any faith?

Non-Religious/Secular/Atheist Version of The Serenity Prayer

Secular versions of the Serenity Prayer exist for people who don’t believe in God or follow any religious traditions.

The message stays the same: accept what you cannot change, take action where you can, and develop the wisdom to know the difference.

The effect remains the same: you find peace and strength to wade through the difficult times.

You draw on your inner resilience and wisdom instead of petitioning a higher power for help or guidance.

In its simplest form, it is:

“May I have the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
the courage to change the things I can,
and the wisdom to know the difference.”

This version removes references to God so that it can be used by people of any belief system who do not believe in a higher power.

You can make it even more personal by removing “May” to create an affirmation:

“I have the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
the courage to change the things I can,
and the wisdom to know the difference.”

This focuses on personal responsibility and inner strength, rather than reliance on a higher power.

Here’s another version that expands on the core message:

“I am responsible for my own peace.
So, I accept my past.

I’ll be brave enough to change my current conditions,
Ignore other people’s opinions of me,
And only compare myself to who I was yesterday.

I’ll make the most of every moment
While being kind and true to myself
And find my happiness.”

Here are a few more non-religious versions of The Serenity Prayer:

“Let me have the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
the courage to change the things I can,
and the wisdom to know the difference.”

“Let me have the strength to face my fears,
the determination to overcome my challenges,
and the resilience to bounce back from setbacks.”

“Let me find peace within myself,
and to live a life that is meaningful and fulfilling.”

Stoicism & Serenity Prayer: Did The Stoics Give It To Us?

At the heart of the Serenity Prayer lies Stoicism.

Ancient Stoics weren’t atheists in the modern sense. They believed in a divine principle they called the Logos – a rational, organizing force that governed the universe. But this wasn’t the personal God of Christianity or other theistic religions.

For Stoics, the divine was more like the rational order of nature itself.

Marcus Aurelius writes about “the gods” but treats them as part of the natural cosmic order, not as beings you pray to for favors. He saw humans as having a spark of this divine reason within them, which is why he said we should align ourselves with the natural order of things.

So while Stoics weren’t asking Zeus to help them accept what they couldn’t change, they were also not materialist atheists. They occupied this middle ground. This was a belief in a rational, divine cosmos while rejecting the idea of gods who intervene based on human prayers or desires.

In ancient Greek, “serenity” was “apatheia,” which meant freedom from intense emotional storms. The Stoics understood that when our passions, like anger, grief, or even joy, get out of control, they can ruin us.

The most famous Stoic passage that mirrors the Serenity Prayer comes from Epictetus, and it’s the opening of his Enchiridion (Handbook):

“What, then, is to be done? To make the best of what is in our power, and take the rest as it naturally happens.”

Epictetus also said:

“Some things are within our power, while others are not. Within our power are our opinion, motivation, desire, aversion, and, in a word, whatever is of our own doing; not within our power are our body, our property, reputation, position, and, in a word, whatever is not of our own doing.”

“Don’t demand or expect that events happen as you would wish them to. Accept events as they actually happen. That way peace is possible.”

“There is only one way to happiness and that is to cease worrying about things which are beyond the power of our will.”

And the Philosopher King Marcus Aurelius echoed this in his Meditations:

“You have power over your mind – not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.”

And this:

Well then, would it not be better to make use of what lies within your power as suits a free man rather than to strain for what lies beyond it in a slavish and abject fashion?

So the ancient Stoic version was essentially:

“Focus entirely on what’s in your control (your judgments, choices, and responses) and accept everything else as it naturally unfolds.”

The Serenity Prayer just packages this 2,000-year-old wisdom in more accessible, modern language.

Final Words

Finally, a psychology-based serenity prayer:

“I will observe my thoughts and feelings without judgment, accept what lies outside my control, and direct my energy toward actions that align with my values.
I will practice psychological flexibility, respond rather than react, and build resilience through mindful awareness of what I can influence and what I must let be.”

This version draws from key psychological findings:

• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): Shows that learning how our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors interact helps us view challenging situations more clearly and respond to them more effectively.
• Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT): Acceptance and mindfulness, combined with commitment and behavior change processes, help produce psychological flexibility.
• Resilience Research: A positive cognitive triad (positive view of the self, the world, and the future) strengthens resilience – our ability to cope with stressful events.

You can even create your own version that speaks to your experience and values.

√ Also Read: Stoicism For Inner Peace: How To Be Calm When Life Is Hard

√ Please spread the word if you found this helpful.

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