Every now and then we come across something that really strikes home, lodges itself in our psyche, alters our outlook or prompts us to think or do differently.

I came across this photo shared online today:

Way back in 1974 my then form teacher, a very scary man, one Mr T R Philp, wrote these words in my autograph book... in those days it was the fashion for those leaving primary school to collect autographs from as many teachers as they could.

I can still visualise Mr Philp's tiny, immaculate hadnwriting, and see him copying the words from a card he kept in the top draw of his desk.  Maybe it was some kind of mantra for him?  I don't know, I never stopped to think about that.

But it was one of those things that struck home, an aspiration to be adopted for my own life.  By no means am I successful - any more than John Wesley was - my feet are very claylike and I fail regularly to meet my own standards.  But wise words, and a good aim, I think.

Other authogrpahs from friends and teachers were less profound or inspiring, but this one (which took me two nearly decades to work out because of how it was written on the page) is also sage advice:

pas d'elle yeux Rhone que nous

(read it aloud or you, too might take two decades to decipher it!)