Jim Harbaugh walked into the 49ers' locker room with a big smile on his face Wednesday.
No one was around him, and he quickly proclaimed: "Best quote of the year, right there."
"Isaac Sopoaga. Best quote of the year," he repeated. "Let me show you."
Unsolicited, Harbaugh walked a small group of reporters over to a white board where a famous quote from Paul "Bear" Bryant was on display: "Show class, have pride and display character. If you do, winning takes care of itself."
Below the quote from the legendary coach, the board read:
"We win as a team … the team … the team ... the team. There is a right way. There is a wrong way. There is a better way. The Forty Niner way. Who's got it better than us? Nobody!"
For whatever reason, this struck a chord with Harbaugh, who then explained how each day, a different player is responsible for writing an inspirational quote on the board.
It doesn't have to be football related, just something to think about.
"We choose who goes by pulling a name out of a hat," Harbaugh said. "That's Michael Crabtree's job."
A fitting role for the player Harbaugh said has the best hands of anyone he's ever been around.
While Sopoaga's selection currently ranks No. 1 on Harbaugh's favorite quote list this year, it's not without competition.
"There have been a lot of good ones," Harbaugh said. "We've been taking a picture of everyone next to their quote. Maybe we'll make a coffee table book out of it."
Not only did Sopoaga's quote draw praise from Harbaugh, it led to a discussion about his copious note-taking process.
"No one in the history of football takes notes like Isaac Sopoaga," said Harbaugh, who then went looking for Sopoaga so he could play show-and-tell with his notebooks.
He quickly returned with Sopoaga and his notebooks and had the defensive tackle flip through the notebook and explain his process. Sure enough, it was filled with detailed notes that included Samoan-inspired characters and graphics.
Harbaugh stood to the side and watched proudly as Sopoaga flipped through the pages and explained how he developed his note-taking process for religious reasons in high school. Seven of his uncles were Christian ministers, and he would take notes for them as they prepared to speak in church on Sundays.
His process for finding a good quote? Not as calculated.
"I just go on the computer and search for football quotes about winning," he said.
That works too.
Follow 49ers reporter Kyle Bonagura on Twitter @CBSSportsNFLSF and @KyleBonagura
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