Guillermo del Toro Quotes

What I like about fairy tales is that they highlight the emotions within a story. The situations aren't real, with falling stars and pirates. But what you do relate to is the emotions that the characters feel.

The more we're governed by idiots and have no control over our destinies, the more we need to tell stories to each other about who we are, why we are, where we come from, and what might be possible. Or, what's impossible? What's a fantasy?

I believe in fairy tales. They are the basis of all our performance of storytelling and film-making - when we twist the real events of the world into something that offers us hope - and I believe in that.

Lots of models have played mermaids throughout history and it is, kind of, a funny rite of passage.

There is a child in every man, and that's why larger-than-life stories which have a fairly tale component will work.

I wrote a lot of scripts that were dark and fairy tale-like, but too strange.

The narrative of so many fairy tales are timeless in so many different cultures, and they have been since the dawn of man. They represent escapism, but they all feature themes that have such poignancy in a modern world.

We prefer death, martyrdom, and the graveyards of martyrs than to enjoy the guarantees and protection of America

Apostles of Freedom are ever idolized when dead, but crucified when living.

All the convents in Madrid are not worth the life of a single Republican.

We're coming, Father Abraham, three hundred thousand more We leave our homes and firesides with bleeding hearts and sore Since poverty has been our crime, we bow to thy decree; We are the poor and have no wealth to purchase liberty.

Our action will have to be very violent in order to crush a strong and well-organized enemy [the Republicans] as soon as possible. Hence, all leaders of political parties, societies or unions not pledged to our movement will be imprisoned. Such people will be administered exemplary punishment [usually shot] so that movements of rebellion or strikes will be strangles.

Our valiant legionnaires and Regulares have shown what it is to be a man to the reds and their women who have finally known real men and not militiamen.

I'll continue fighting as long as these social injustices exist.

Francisco Franco’s military uprising against Spain’s elected government was an attempt, not so much to impose Fascism as to restore feudalism.

We have always lived in slums and holes in the wall. We will know how to accommodate ourselves for a while. For you must not forget that we can also build. It is we who built these palaces and cities, here in Spain and America and everywhere. We, the workers. We can build others to take their place. And better ones. We are not in the least afraid of ruins. We are going to inherit the earth

Fairytales have always got to have that scary quality, as long as you make them laugh.

A modern hero is very ambiguous. I went through some very rough times in Czechoslovakia - the occupation by the Germans at the end of the war. We had people going against their tanks with brooms. Are they nuts, or are they heroes?

As long as you keep one foot in the real world while the other foot's in a fairy tale, that fairy tale is going to seem kind of attainable.

I'd love to make a film like 'Pan's Labyrinth.'

I'm a fan of the sensibility of comics, and I love the escapism of them and the defining of good and evil. They're just so creative, too.

Hungry for both fantasy and inspiration, readers crave protagonists who, after overcoming seemingly insurmountable obstacles, triumph at the end of the day.

When we were kids, I know when I saw 'Pinocchio' it had a huge impact. I was ten years old, and I went home, and I was drawing the characters.

It was important to feel that you were resisting the fascism around you. But we had no electricity to watch movies. We were imagining our movies.

Stories let you be the hero, the doctor, the lawyer, the gladiator. They let you go on a journey.