Here’s today’s dispatch from the crossroads of faith, media and culture.

Nelson Mandela knew the power of words. I collect wisdom. I’ll take words that are wise to those that clever and snarky any day of the week. They both leave us with something but it’s only former that worth holding onto. Nelson Mandela, in his inspiring life, offered much of the former. Here are some fine examples (all, BTW, great inspirations for storytellers looking for powerful themes) culled from Quartz, The Daily Beast, USA Today and BrainQuote.

“For to be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.”

“No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.”

“No axe is sharp enough to cut the soul of a sinner who keeps on trying, one armed with the hope that he will rise even in the end.”

“It always seems impossible until it’s done.”

“I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.”

“If you want to make peace with your enemy, you have to work with your enemy. Then he becomes your partner.”

“Man’s goodness is a flame that can be hidden but never extinguished.”

“A good head and a good heart are always a formidable combination.”

“It is never my custom to use words lightly. If twenty-seven years in prison have done anything to us, it was to use the silence of solitude to make us understand how precious words are and how real speech is in its impact on the way people live and die.”

“When people are determined they can overcome anything.”

“I like friends who have independent minds because they tend to make you see problems from all angles.”

“Everyone can rise above their circumstances and achieve success if they are dedicated to and passionate about what they do.”

“Resentment is like drinking poison and then hoping it will kill your enemies.”

“There is no easy walk to freedom anywhere, and many of us will have to pass through the valley of the shadow of death again and again before we reach the mountaintop of our desires.”