History Main / SurvivalMantra

* The chorus of "Famous Last Words" on Music/TheBlackParade makes a nice one: ''"I am not afraid to keep on living, I am not afraid to walk this world alone..."''

* Tool's "The Patient"

-->'''Alternate!Constantine''': Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil...
-->'''Main!Constantine''': ...for I am the evilest bastard in this valley.

* ''Fanfic/ACrownOfStars'': During the history Shinji replaces his "''I mustn't run away''" chant for another one: "''Don’t say ‘I’m sorry’, or she’ll kill me''"

* ''Film/The13thWarrior'': ''"Lo, there do I see my father. Lo, there do I see my mother, and my sisters, and my brothers. Lo, there do I see the line of my people back to the beginning. Lo, they do call to me. They bid me take my place among them, in the halls of Valhalla, where the brave may live forever."'' [[spoiler:Ironically, it is a funeral chant that was heard at the beginning of the movie. The heroes are facing down an entire army and the heroes' leader, who starts the chant, already knows he is dying from being poisoned in the last confrontation. The others join in as they don't expect to survive either and it gives them the courage needed to fight anyway.]]

-->'''Matilda''': "Deep breath! Deep breath! DEEEEP BREEEEAAAATH!!"
* In ''WesternAnimation/AtlantisTheLostEmpire,'' we are briefly given a shot of Milo and Audrey in an escape pod as Milo nervously chants "it's only a grease trap, it's just like a sink, it's only a grease trap, it's just like a sink..."
* The titular heroine of ''WesternAnimation/{{Mulan}}'' chants, "Get off the roof, get off the roof," when the rocket is about to explode.
* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Dumbo}}'', Casey Junior the circus train has [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rR-p_Ux2yUw his own little mantra]] while climbing a steep hill "I think I can, I think I can, I think I can, I think I can..."
* On ''WesternAnimation/IceAgeTheMeltdown'', Sid tells Diego that because he fears the water, that makes him its prey. So when Diego has to swim, he repeats to himself, ''"I am not your prey! I am not your prey!"'' When actually in the water, Diego keeps repeating Sid's swimming instructions, ''"Claw! Kick! Claw! Kick!"''.

* ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory2'' -- when the rest of the toys come across Barbie, Mr. Potato Head breaks out into "I'm a married spud, I'm a married spud, I'm a married spud..."
* ''WesternAnimation/FindingNemo:'' "Just keep swimming, just keep swimming..."
** When Marlin and Dory are stuck in the Jellyfish fields, Marlin invokes this trope while playing it straight. He keeps Dory awake by asking her to repeat where P. Sherman lives, and keeps himself awake by repeating 'Stay awake!'
* Queen Elsa's "Conceal, don't feel" in ''WesternAnimation/{{Frozen|2013}}''. It [[MadnessMantra doesn't help always though.]]
* In ''WesternAnimation/FrozenII'', Anna manages to break herself out of her HeroicBSOD after [[spoiler:Elsa and Olaf's deaths]] by repeatedly telling herself (through song) to "do the next right thing".
* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Zootopia}}'', on Judy Hopp's second day of parking duty, after being worn down by receiving steady verbal abuse from those she has ticketed, she returns to her three-wheeled joke mobile and bangs her head against the steering wheel, reminding herself desperately, "I am a real cop, I am real cop, I am a real cop..."

* ''Franchise/{{Cars}}'' protagnoist Lightning [=McQueen=] recites a mantra to himself before he races to psyche himself up. "Speed. I am speed."

* ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime'': In the episode "Simon and Marcy", in a flashback to an earlier time when remnants of the world before [[EndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt the Great Mushroom War]] were more prevalent, and Simon/Ice King's SanitySlippage was not yet complete, he actually [[SanitySlippageSong uses the theme song]] from ''Series/{{Cheers}}'' as this to try to stay sane and in control while using his [[ArtifactOfDoom magic crown]] to defend himself and Marceline from a pack of green, oozing zombie/ghoul things.
* Peter Puppy in the ''WesternAnimation/EarthwormJim'' cartoon uses the first three lines of the Bene Gesserit Litany almost OnceAnEpisode. It never works, and is almost always a sign Peter is about to [[BerserkMode transform]].
** Wonderfully lampshaded in one episode by Jim:
-->'''Puice Dynamo:''' "What's that muttering about?"\\
'''Jim:''' "Oh, he's just gonna turn into a monster and maul us."

* In the earlier seasons, ''WesternAnimation/{{Rugrats}}'' occasionally had Chuckie break out in: ''"I'm a big brave dog, I'm a big brave dog, I'm a big brave dog..."''
** Referenced again in an episode of ''WesternAnimation/AllGrownUp''
* ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'': In one childhood-flashback, Zuko tries to console himself with ''"Azula always lies, Azula always lies..."'' after Azula informs him that their father is going to kill him. [[spoiler: Of course, she was actually telling the truth that one time.]]
* ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'': During the finale of the second season, Tenzin, Kya and Bumi are searching for Jinora in the Spirit world and end up in the Fog of Lost Souls, which imprisons victims in their darkest memories. Tenzin tries to stay focused by reminding himself he is the son of Avatar Aang and the hope of future generations of airbenders. But the moment he almost lost his mind, a vision of Aang appeared, teaching him he should be his own person, instead of merely following in Aangs footsteps. Then he repeats to himself that he is Tenzin, freeing himself from the pressure he was about to succumb to and causing the Fog to dissipate.
* How does ''WesternAnimation/TransformersAnimated'' Prowl do it? He says it himself in one episode: "Stillness... then ''strike''!"
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Animaniacs}}'': "A clown is not a hairy spider. A clown will not bite me and throw me in the basement." Admittedly, it doesn't work very well...

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' episode "Kamp Krusty," Bart is seen keeping himself sane by reminding himself that "Krusty is coming...Krusty is coming...Krusty is coming..."
** The episode "Separate Vocations" shows miss Hoover relying on "Calm, blue ocean ... calm, blue ocean" under stress.
* In ''WesternAnimation/DrawnTogether'', we have "Strong, Xander... Strong, Xander..."
* {{Invoked| Trope}} in an episode of ''WesternAnimation/HeyArnold'' where a psychologist/psychiatrist has taken a claustrophobic patient on the subway to help her face her fears using the phrase "Big open spaces. Big open spaces." When the subway breaks down, the doctor freaks out too and yells at her that the mantra is a crock.
* Not exactly the same, but one episode of ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague'' has Batman looping Frere Jaques in his head to stop Dr. Destiny from messing with his mind. This is when Dr. Destiny has previously incapacitated the rest of the League, is at his most powerful, and is dangerously close to Batman.
* Mrs. Gleeful has one in ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls'': "Just keep vacuuming, ''just keep vacuuming''..."
* ''WesternAnimation/ToyStoryOfTerror'' has "Combat Carl never gives up, Combat Carl finds a way". Jesse replaces the name with hers.
* On ''WesternAnimation/PeterRabbit'', when [[CowardlySidekick Benjamin]] gets scared of something, he likes to remind himself that "Rabbits are brave, rabbits are brave, rabbits are brave..."
* ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'':
** "Tea At The Treedome": [=SpongeBob=] referring to water, "I don't need it! I don't need it! I ''definitely'' don't need it." It becomes a [[MadnessMantra Madness Mantra]] when he sees a vase of it in front of him before finally howling "'''''I NEED IT!!!'''''".

* ''Series/StarTrekStrangeNewWorlds'': In "[[Recap/StarTrekStrangeNewWorldsS2E04AmongTheLotusEaters Among the Lotus Eaters]]'', the crew is suffering from amnesia thanks to an AsteroidThicket full of radiation. Ortegas focuses on her name and [[AcePilot job]] as she flies the ''Enterprise'' to safety.

* ''Film/The13thWarrior'': ''"Lo, there do I see my father. Lo, there do I see my mother, and my sisters, and my brothers. Lo, there do I see the line of my people back to the beginning. Lo, they do call to me. They bid me take my place among them, in the halls of Valhalla, where the brave may live forever."'' [[spoiler:Ironically, it is a funeral chant that was heard at the beginning of the movie. The heroes are facing down an entire army and the heroes' leader, who starts the chant, already knows he is dying from being poisoned in the last confrontation. The others join in as they don't expect to survive either and it gives them the courage needed to fight anyway.]]

* ''Film/TheAccountant2016'' recites the Solomon Grundy nursury rhyme in high-stress situations. It provides an early clue to his identity to [[InspectorJavert Medina]], who has a recording of his voice analyzed and is told the [[DissonantSerenity lack of inflection]] implies the use of this trope by someone who suffered a trauma or mental disability from a young age.

* In Series/TheProfessionals-Series/DoctorWho crossover fanfic ''Fanfic/{{Silver}}'' Doyle gets one after he is [[DemonicPossession possessed]] by The Darkness.

* In TheProfessionals Series/DoctorWho crossover fanfic ''Fanfic/{{Silver}}'' Doyle gets one after he is [[DemonicPossession possessed]] by The Darkness.

** In "[[Recap/StarTrekVoyagerS3E2Flashback Flashback]]", as Tuvok's mental control is slipping, he begins reciting "Structure. Logic. Function. Control. A structure cannot stand without a foundation. Logic is the foundation of function. Function is the essence of control. I am in control. I am in control." Inevitably, [[https://youtu.be/rZLYYXfboJs someone]] created a StupidStatementDanceMix.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Cars}}'' protagnoist Lightning [=McQueen=] recites a mantra to himself before he races to psyche himself up. "Speed. I am speed."

* ''Film/TheAccountant'' recites the Solomon Grundy nursury rhyme in high-stress situations. It provides an early clue to his identity to [[InspectorJavert Medina]], who has a recording of his voice analyzed and is told the [[DissonantSerenity lack of inflection]] implies the use of this trope by someone who suffered a trauma or mental disability from a young age.

* [[OurWerewolvesAredifferent Oz]] from ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' living [[YourWorstNightmare his worst fear]] in "[[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS4E4FearItself Fear Itself]]".

'''Clown:''' And how about [[Film/TheWizardofOZ There's no place like home]]. There's no place like home. ''[EvilLaugh]'' Try clicking your heels together three times. Oh, [[AndIMustScream but your legs are restrained]], aren't they?

* In an episode of ''Series/TheAvengers1960s'' Emma Peel notes Steed repeating phrases of nursery rhymes over and over and fears it is a madness mantra. It is actually to keep a mind reader out of his head and she joins in with him once she figures this out.
* ''Series/BabylonFive'', [[spoiler: Doctor Franklin]], after having been stabbed in [[TheCityNarrows Downbelow]], ends up crawling through the corridors while saying "I want to ''live!''" and "I wanna do it all over again!" over and over again.
** When confronted by a guardian of the Technomages, Vir Cotto stands his ground, reciting his credentials over and over:
--->"My name is Vir Cotto, diplomatic attaché to Ambassador Mollari of the Centauri Republic!"

* ''Series/{{Battlestar Galactica|2003}}'' ("Razor") "Fear gets you killed. Anger keeps you alive."
** In "Valley of Darkness" Lee Adama mutters, "Headshot, reload, headshot, reload" as they wait for the Cylon boarding party, as he had only a few explosive rounds, each of which had to be individually loaded into the under-barrel attachment of his pistol.

* In ''Series/{{Crisis on Infinite Earths|2019}}'', when [[spoiler:trying to absorb the energy of the antimatter cannon]], Series/{{Black Lightning|2018}} recites his school's motto, causing the others to give him weird looks.

* ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'' had the Jem'Hadar, whose motto was "Victory is Life."
** They also have a call-and-response phrase uttered when distributing ketracel-white: "Obedience brings victory." "And victory is life."
** Bashir and O'Brien adopt one during [[ProudWarriorRaceGuy Worf's]] extremely trying bachelor party. It's PlayedForLaughs.
--->"Kill Worf, kill Worf, kill Worf..."
* ''Series/StarTrekVoyager''
** In "Flashback", as Tuvok's mental control is slipping he begins reciting "Structure. Logic. Function. Control. A structure cannot stand without a foundation. Logic is the foundation of function. Function is the essence of control. I am in control. I am in control." Inevitably [[https://youtu.be/rZLYYXfboJs someone]] created a StupidStatementDanceMix.
** In "The Thaw" Harry is held prisoner in a LotusEaterMachine by the Clown, who is the AbstractApotheosis of fear. Harry gives the famous UsefulNotes/FranklinDRoosevelt quote, so the Clown has him StrappedToAnOperatingTable.
--->'''KIM:''' ''(desperately)'' The only thing we have to fear is fear itself!\\
'''CLOWN:''' Keep repeating, Harry. The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.\\
'''ALL:''' ''(mocking)'' The only thing we have to fear is fear itself!\\
'''CLOWN:''' And how about [[Film/TheWizardofOZ There's no place like home]]. There's no place like home. ''(EvilLaugh)'' Try clicking your heels together three times. Oh, [[AndIMustScream but your legs are restrained]], aren't they?
* In the ''{{Series/Supernatural}}'' episode, "Plucky Pennywhistle's Magical Menagerie", Sam is getting chased by [[MonsterClown evil clowns]] ([[WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes a childhood phobia of his]]) and mutters over and over to himself, "[[Film/{{Predator}} If it bleeds, you can kill it...]] if it bleeds, you can kill it.... if it bleeds, you can kill it...." And then he finds out that they don't bleed.

* In ''Series/TheWalkingDead'', Enid oftentimes writes the symbols "JSS." This stands for "Just Survive Somehow."

* Many scary things happen to the character Chyna Shepherd in Creator/DeanKoontz's novel ''Intensity''. She gets through them with the mantra "Chyna Shepherd, untouched and alive," repeated over and over, which she developed to maintain her sanity under the childhood threat of her mother's sexually predatory boyfriends. The killer, hearing her, becomes more intruiged and decides to take her alive instead of killing her immediately.

* Scarlett O'Hara of ''Literature/GoneWithTheWind'' tells herself, "I'll think of it tomorrow" or a variation thereof. At the beginning, she uses the phrase to soothe her conscience about doing unsavory acts; later, she tells herself that when her fears of losing her home, starving to death, and such get too hard to bear. She tells herself so in the very last lines of the book, after [[spoiler:Melanie dies and Rhett leaves her.]] ''Tomorrow Is Another Day'' even was one of the proposed titles of the book.

* Many scary things happen to the character Chyna Shepherd in Creator/DeanKoontz's novel ''Intensity''. She gets through them with the mantra "Chyna Shepherd, untouched and alive," repeated over and over, which she developed to maintain her sanity under the childhood threat of her mother's sexually predatory boyfriends
The killer, hearing her, becomes more intruiged and decides to take her alive instead of killing her immediately.

* Many scary things happen to the character Chyna Sheperd in Creator/DeanKoontz's novel ''Intensity''. She gets through them with the mantra "Chyna Sheperd, untouched and alive," repeated over and over.

* Played with in ''LightNovel/{{Durarara}}'' Shizuo Heiwajima's "Kill them all" MadnessMantra is actually this, as he's using it to channel his inner anger and ''avoid'' going into {{Unstoppable Rage}}s.

* Kirito in the first episode of the ''LightNovel/SwordArtOnline'' anime adaptation: ''"I will survive in this world!"'', while later in the Fairy Dance Arc during his solo attempt at the World Tree Grand Quest he chants ''"Asuna"'' in a borderline MadnessMantra way.

* ''LightNovel/RebuildWorld'': Akira has "Resolve is my responsibility", to which his VirtualSidekick Alpha responds with "Leave the rest to me!". This is basically Akira saying ThisIsGonnaSuck but he’ll bear it, while Alpha uses his PoweredArmor like PeoplePuppets. Akira does say it on his own in a few significant moments separated from Alpha, proving it to be this.

* In ''LightNovel/TheUnexploredSummonBloodSign'', adherents of the White Queen have a particular prayer which is often used as this trope. Because the Queen [[GodIsEvil is unworthy of their faith]], she never comes...but more than once, [[AngelDevilShipping her lover]] has. ([[spoiler:Olivia]], for her part, sees no difference between the two.)

** ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamTheWitchFromMercury'': Shy, sheltered Suletta Mercury often says to herself some variation of "If you run, you gain one. If you move forward, you gain two." Taught to her by her mother, Lady Prospera, it means that while there's no shame in fleeing from trouble, she'll gain more if she faces it head on. In the prequel novel, its compared to a "spell" that helps her press forward. [[spoiler:Episode 12, however, shows a dark side to this "magic spell", as it can justify any logic to Suletta as long as it is couched in this mantra. Prospera tells Suletta that [[IDidWhatIHadToDo murder is one way of "moving forward", as long as she "gains" the safety of her loved ones]], and the girl immediately makes it part of her belief system without question.]]