I don't think I repeat mantras over and over in my head... or if I do, I can't remember any right now.
But here are quite a few sayings/concepts that have always stuck with me, and occur to me on a regular basis:
* We are all immigrants. Take it back to Olduvai Gorge, people.
* Silence is complacency. If you do not speak out against what you believe to be wrong, then you are contributing to the power and guilt of those who perpetuate those wrongs.
* Practice situational awareness. My crew coach (a Marine) pounded this into my head every day for 4 years. ALWAYS BE AWARE of what is going on immediately around you, as much as possible--your lives and others depend on it. (I was steering 60 ft. crew shells at the time, with 8 people rowing backwards and trusting me, so he was being literal--but the point still stands.)
* "Það kemur í ljós." An Icelandic phrase meaning, "That will come to light," or ... wait and see, cross that bridge when you come to it, etc. I find myself saying this a lot lately, due to not having a lot of answers about the geography of our immediate future.
* I am not really that important, and neither are my decisions. This may sound self-defeating and an encouragement to having low self-esteem, but as someone who thinks WAY TOO MUCH and wonders about the eternal implications of every decision I make, whether or not it's "right" or "wrong," etc... this is something I had to learn, and have to keep reminding myself about. The universe is unfolding as it should, regardless of my wee existence.
* Everyone has a story to tell, regardless of how much I like or dislike that person. Listening to those stories is key to treating others with empathy and compassion.
* Because I am privileged, I share responsibility for the well-being of the underprivileged and oppressed. Self-explanatory. We are responsible for each other.
* There are two kinds of people in this world: assholes, and people who know they are assholes. Also self-explanatory.