Love them or hate them, you can’t shake a stick these days without bumping into an “inspirational quote”. They decorate the walls of our bars, gyms and homes; they’re plastered all over social media; and in the past few years, they’ve appeared in schools.

Whether they actually inspire us into action remains to be seen. But sometimes, you come across a phrase that feels almost as if it were written specifically for you.

Perhaps it offers a solution to a problem you’re facing, signals that a change is needed or even simply just reminds you of something you’d lost sight of. Here are some of the quotes that have supported me personally and professionally.

* “Your worth is not measured by your productivity.” Anon

* “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” Nelson Mandela

* “Things that matter the most must never be at the mercy of things that matter the least.” Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

* “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” Eleanor Roosevelt

* “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.” Anon

* “What you practice, you become.” Anon

* “Focus 90 per cent of your time on solutions and only 10 per cent of your time on problems.” Anthony J D’Angelo

Jo Steer is a teacher and experienced leader of special educational needs and disability (SEND) interventions and wellbeing strategies