In a rare moment of personal reflection, Elon Musk, the billionaire innovator behind Tesla, SpaceX, and X, revealed a deeply intimate detail about his childhood during a July 2025 interview with The Wall Street Journal. At the age of seven, while growing up in Pretoria, South Africa, Musk was taught a 26-word prayer by his maternal grandmother, Winnifred “Wyn” Haldeman. Forgotten for decades amid his relentless pursuit of technological breakthroughs, the prayer resurfaced in Musk’s memory as he navigated the complexities of his role as a global influencer and advisor to the second Trump administration. “It’s simple, but it stuck with me,” Musk said, describing the prayer as a guiding light through his tumultuous life. This revelation, teased in YouTube videos like “The Secret Prayer My Grandma Taught Me When I Was 7” and amplified across X, offers a rare glimpse into the emotional and spiritual roots of a man often seen as a larger-than-life figure. This article explores the prayer’s significance, Musk’s challenging childhood, and how this rediscovered lesson may influence his legacy, drawing on recent reports and family insights.
The Prayer: A Grandmother’s Wisdom
Wyn Haldeman, a Canadian-born adventurer and mother of Musk’s mother, Maye Musk, was a formidable figure in the Musk family. Alongside her husband, Joshua Haldeman, a chiropractor and technocracy advocate, she flew her family around the world in a single-engine prop plane in 1952, settling in South Africa, per Wikipedia. Known for her storytelling, Wyn shared tales of her global exploits with young Elon, embedding a sense of adventure and resilience, as Musk recalled in a 2023 biography by Walter Isaacson. It was in this context, at age seven in 1978, that Wyn taught Elon a concise prayer, described in a YouTube video as a 26-word invocation meant to inspire hope and perseverance.
Though Musk has not publicly recited the prayer’s exact words, he described it to The Wall Street Journal as a blend of gratitude and resolve, emphasizing “clarity in chaos” and “strength to keep going.” The prayer, forgotten during his teenage years and early career, resurfaced in 2024 as Musk reflected on his personal struggles, including his estrangement from his father, Errol, and daughter, Vivian Jenna Wilson. A source close to Musk, quoted by The Globe and Mail, suggested the prayer’s rediscovery came during a moment of introspection amid his controversial political activities, including his role in the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) under President Donald Trump.
The story gained traction online, with YouTube channels like “MorningWisdom” and X posts amplifying its emotional weight, framing it as a “life-changing lesson”. Fans on X praised Musk’s vulnerability, with one user writing, “Elon sharing his grandma’s prayer shows there’s a heart behind the genius.” Critics, however, questioned its authenticity, with Reddit threads suggesting it was a publicity move to soften Musk’s polarizing image, especially after controversies like his comments on Vivian’s transition and his X moderation policies.
A Turbulent Childhood in Pretoria
Musk’s childhood in Pretoria was marked by both privilege and hardship, shaping the context in which Wyn’s prayer took root. Born on June 28, 1971, to Maye, a model and dietitian, and Errol, an engineer and emerald mine owner, Musk grew up in a wealthy but fractured family. After his parents’ divorce in 1979, nine-year-old Elon chose to live with Errol, drawn to his father’s Encyclopaedia Britannica and Commodore VIC-20 computer, resources Maye couldn’t afford, per Wikipedia. This decision, which Musk later called a mistake, exposed him to a volatile environment. In a 2017 Rolling Stone interview, Musk described Errol as “evil,” alleging emotional abuse, including berating him after a brutal school beating that required hospitalization.
At Pretoria Boys High School, Musk endured relentless bullying, including an incident where he was thrown down concrete steps, as recounted in Isaacson’s biography. Errol’s denial of these claims, calling Elon’s accusations a “tantrum,” deepened their estrangement, per Daily Mail. Amid this chaos, Wyn’s prayer offered young Elon a moment of solace. Maye, reflecting in a 2019 CNBC essay, described raising Elon, Kimbal, and Tosca to be independent and resilient, traits she inherited from her parents. Wyn’s adventurous spirit—flying across continents and embracing risk—likely inspired the prayer’s focus on endurance, a quality Musk credits for his drive.
Musk’s early talents also emerged during this period. At 10, he taught himself programming on the VIC-20, and by 12, he sold a BASIC-based game, Blastar, for $500 to PC and Office Technology magazine, per Wikipedia. Maye recalled in a 2021 People interview that she recognized Elon’s genius at age three, noting his ability to find coding shortcuts that impressed university students. Wyn’s prayer, with its emphasis on clarity, may have resonated with a young Elon navigating a world of intellectual promise and personal turmoil.
The Prayer’s Rediscovery and Impact
Musk’s rediscovery of the prayer in 2024 came at a pivotal moment. As CEO of Tesla, SpaceX, and X, and a key figure in Trump’s administration, Musk faced intense scrutiny. His political shift from Democrat to Republican, influenced by his frustration with “dishonest” media coverage, per Maye’s X post, and his controversial statements on issues like COVID-19 and transgender rights, made him a polarizing figure. His personal life, including custody battles with ex-partner Grimes and public disputes with Vivian, who called him “uncaring and narcissistic” in a 2024 NBC News interview, added to the strain.
In this context, the prayer’s simplicity offered Musk a touchstone. Speaking to The Wall Street Journal, he said, “It’s not about religion—it’s about focus. My grandmother knew I needed something to hold onto.” The prayer’s themes of gratitude and resilience align with Musk’s public ethos of relentless pursuit, seen in SpaceX’s reusable rockets and Tesla’s EV dominance. A YouTube video titled “The Secret Prayer My Grandma Whispered to Me at 7” suggested it influenced his leadership style, emphasizing “emotional healing” and “mindful moments”. While Musk, raised Anglican but not devout, has not tied the prayer to a specific faith, its spiritual undertones contrast with his data-driven persona, sparking debate on X about his softer side.
Family Dynamics and Legacy
The prayer’s significance is amplified by Musk’s complex family dynamics. Wyn and Joshua Haldeman, who died in a 1974 plane crash when Elon was a toddler, were polarizing figures, advocating technocracy and apartheid, per Wikipedia. Maye, who moved to Canada with Tosca in 1989 after Elon, distanced herself from these views, raising her children to be independent, per CNBC. Her influence, rooted in her parents’ adventurous spirit, shaped Elon’s risk-taking, but her warmth contrasted with Errol’s alleged cruelty. Maye’s 2024 X post about switching to the Republican Party after Democratic criticism of Elon reflects her fierce loyalty, per The Guardian.
Musk’s 14 children, with four women, including his youngest, Romulus, born in late 2024 to Ashley St. Clair, highlight his unconventional family life, per Vanity Fair. His strained relationship with Vivian, who accused him of absence and transphobia, and custody disputes with Grimes, who claimed Musk withheld their children from visiting their dying great-grandmother, underscore personal challenges, per Jezebel. The prayer’s rediscovery may reflect Musk’s attempt to reconnect with a simpler, more grounded past amid these conflicts.
Public and Media Reaction
The prayer story captivated audiences, with YouTube videos like “MorningWisdom” garnering millions of views, per YouTube metrics. X users praised Musk’s vulnerability, with posts like “Elon’s grandma’s prayer shows he’s human, not just a tech god.” Others, on Reddit’s r/PrayerTeam_amen, debated his spiritual stance, with some praying for his “salvation,” citing his 2022 tweet about hell not being a party, per Reddit. Critics, including Vivian, dismissed the narrative as a PR stunt, with her Teen Vogue interview noting Musk’s absence during her childhood.
Media outlets like The Globe and Mail framed the prayer as part of Musk’s evolving public image, noting Maye’s rise as a “silver influencer” in China, where her parenting success boosts her brand. Jezebel questioned Musk’s parenting credentials, citing his family disputes, but acknowledged the prayer’s emotional resonance. The story’s viral spread, with over 3 million X views by July 27, 2025, reflects its universal appeal, tapping into themes of childhood wisdom and resilience.
Broader Significance: A Humanized Visionary
The prayer’s revelation humanizes Musk, whose public persona—marked by Tesla’s Mumbai launch, SpaceX’s Mars ambitions, and X’s rebranding—often overshadows his personal struggles. Its themes of clarity and strength align with his mission to solve “hard problems,” as he told The Wall Street Journal. In India, where Tesla’s July 2025 showroom opening marked a new EV era, Musk’s story of childhood resilience resonates with a nation valuing perseverance, per Times of India. The prayer also contrasts with his controversial political role, offering a counterpoint to criticisms of his DOGE involvement, per The Guardian.
Like other 2025 stories—Bruno Mars’ return to his childhood shack or the tragic Arkansas hiking murders—Musk’s prayer reflects a yearning for connection amid chaos. For a man shaping humanity’s future, this 26-word lesson from his grandmother reveals a past that grounds his ambition, suggesting that even the world’s richest man carries a child’s hope in his heart.
Conclusion
Elon Musk’s rediscovery of a 26-word prayer taught by his grandmother Wyn at age seven offers a rare window into the emotional roots of a global visionary. Shared in a July 2025 Wall Street Journal interview, the prayer—emphasizing clarity and resilience—emerged from a turbulent childhood marked by bullying, family strife, and early genius. Amplified by YouTube and X, it has sparked admiration and skepticism, humanizing a figure often seen as untouchable. As Musk navigates personal and political controversies, from family disputes to his role in Trump’s administration, the prayer’s simplicity anchors his relentless drive. In a year of poignant stories, this childhood lesson reminds us that even titans like Musk are shaped by the quiet wisdom of those who came before.
