Mantra
A phrase or sound repeated to focus the mind, originally from Vedic religious practice.
A mantra is a word, phrase, or sound repeated in concentration, meditation, or prayer to focus the mind. The term originates in the Vedic traditions of South Asia, where mantras were considered sacred sound, capable of producing spiritual effects through correct recitation.
In everyday English, mantra has broadened to mean any short phrase someone repeats to themselves for motivation, calm, or focus. Athletes use mantras before competition; writers tape them above their desks; therapists prescribe them as anchors during anxiety.
The traditional sense and the secular sense both depend on the same insight: that words, repeated, change the inner state of the speaker. Quotes that function well as mantras are usually short, second-person or first-person, and rhythmically simple.
“This too shall pass.”
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