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My mother's advice to me was quoted from the Girl Guide Handbook: "never judge another man until you have walked a week in his moccasins". I think it was an old Red Indian saying. This saying has stayed with me and I now quote it to friends and colleagues at work when they are hasty to judge someone's actions or behaviour. Mary Edwards, Middlesbrough, Cleveland

My mum told me when I was very young that I should marry a man I loved, but who was also my best friend and to whom I could confide my hopes and fears. She stood by me as I made my way through a few inappropriates, telling me when I was dumped that “you can't make someone love you” - how true. Then I met “him”. After a few weeks of dating I called mum to say I thought I was going to end it - because he was too nice. She asked me: “Does he make you laugh? Do you enjoy being with him?” Then I remembered her words. He was the first boyfriend to be a friend, then a best friend and now my husband - thanks mum! Michelle Robinson, Wickford

When I left home for the first time and moved in with my boyfriend, my mum took me aside, and in a quiet corner she passed down the advice her mother had told her on her wedding day: "Before you go to bed at night, always take a little time to pour some bleach down the toilet." We may not talk much about our emotional lives, but it's her choices and sacrifices in her life that inspire me. She communicates her life experiences by example, and after all these years I've learnt more than good housekeeping. Rosalind Stannard, Derby

My mother always used to say that you should never go from one room to another without taking something with you. Unlike some of the stuff she used to nag about, that stuck and has stood me in very good stead for life at work and at home. There is always something that needs to be put away, so I find that keeping this in mind, my house and desk at the office never become untidy. Linda Tweedie, Aberdeen

My mum taught me that she was always right. Now I'm a mum myself, I just have to agree. Christine Taylor, Leigh-on-Sea

You'll make a lot of acquaintances but you will only ever have a handful of real friends. Despite moving around many times over the years and meeting many wonderful people I have, and rely on, my handful of friends. Roger Glithero, Aylesbury

My mother always wanted for me what she was never allowed to do as a young girl wrapped in cotton wool; travel the world, be independent, and have the confidence to walk alone into a room full of people without fear. I get frustrated when my mother says she can't do these things and has no self-confidence. I want to take this opportunity to say "thank you for making me strong inside," and I know that my generation has often been pushed into situations my mother's generation just were not confronted with. Thank you Mummy for giving me my inner strength. You have it too; I'm just a lot louder about it. Juliet Rowe, London                                         

My mother always knew exactly the right thing to say at exactly the right time. After I'd finished university I spent a year going to job interviews and getting rejected. I came home in floods of tears one evening after another fruitless day and I remember her telling me that when I reached my full potential all the stars were going to line up and the tides were going to shift. It took me another few months to get a job but it was just knowing that my mother believed in me that was enough to keep me going through the bad times. In my opinion there is no inspiration in the world that beats a mother's love. Katy Isherwood, Rochdale

My mother tells me that you make you're own luck in life. The harder you work and the more positive your outlook on life, the luckier you get. Sally Hogbin, Stansted

My mother used to say: "Whenever you are in trouble, cross your legs!" Mavis McLaren, Burgess Hill, West Sussex

The advice my Mum gave me was simple but effective: "What he doesn't know won't hurt him," and since I've been selective. Sheila O'Connor, Chelmsford, Essex

The best advice my mum gave me about food/entertaining was that "people eat with their eyes".  How true it is; the oohs and ahhs before they have even tasted it.  If it tastes marvellous, all the better. Maria Ellis, Welling, Herts

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