“Give me the patience for the small things of life, courage for the great trials of life. Help me to do my best each day and then go to sleep knowing God is awake.”
— Voltaire · 1694 – 1778Source: no specific work is documented · Check the source
MisattributedWhat we know
- What is documented
- Scholarly evidence shows the quotation is misattributed to Voltaire; researchers point to a version linked to Victor Hugo but find no primary-source text.
- What remains uncertain
- The Hugo connection explains the tone, yet no definitive Hugo passage has been identified; the common Voltaire wording appears to be a modern paraphrase.
Understanding the quote
This short prayer contrasts two practical virtues: courage for great trials and patience for small annoyances, then asks for the peace to sleep after doing one's daily work. It is widely credited to Voltaire in popular sources, but scholarship links the wording more closely to Victor Hugo without a secure primary source.
The story behind it
Oddly, the 'Voltaire' wording spread mainly through quotation websites and inspirational collections rather than from any identified book or letter.
Going further
- The era
- In 19th‑century France, Romantic and humanist writers often mixed moral exhortation with spiritual trust.
- The thinking
- In practice it means: do your daily work conscientiously, endure small frustrations patiently, meet real crises with courage, then let go knowing you did what you could.
- Key word
- Providence: the idea that a caring divine order watches over human affairs.
- Who quoted it
- Today the line appears in bedtime and burnout discussions across social media and quotation anthologies more than in classical literature.
Three challenges to live it
In the app, you pick the one that fits your day, and in the evening you say how it went.
Breathe deeply for 6 minutes tonight, mentally naming one small annoyance, one big trial, and one thing you did well today.
The prayer asks for patience, courage and restful trust; this short pause trains you to acknowledge small and large stresses, then let them go before sleep.
Write for 12 minutes a letter to yourself: start with a small annoyance, describe a major trial, and end with what you did best today.
The prayer separates patience, courage and nightly rest; focused writing helps sort those layers into meaning and closes the day with clarity.
Walk for 20 minutes at an easy pace tonight, spending about one minute on each thought: patience for small annoyances, courage for a trial, gratitude for today's effort.
The prayer pairs patience and courage then asks for restful trust; walking turns restless thoughts into steady rhythm and readies the body and mind for sleep.
How does finishing one small but important task change how you sleep at night?
Report an error
Does an attribution, a source or a translation look wrong? Tell us: every report is read, and the entry is corrected if needed.