The butterfly does not look back upon its caterpillar self, either fondly or wistfully; it simply flies on.
Interpretation
This quote highlights the importance of moving forward and not dwelling on the past.
Guillermo Del Toro's quote about the butterfly emphasizes the process of transformation and growth, suggesting that once one evolves from a previous state, it is vital to embrace the new self without longing for what was left behind. The butterfly serves as a metaphor for personal change, encouraging individuals to let go of their past identities and to focus on the journey ahead.
In practice
In a motivational speech about personal growth.
I don't try to sanction other people's joy in monsters. I mean, I think the fact is, humor, fantasy - you know, like fear, desire or laughter - create genres of their own: comedy, melodrama, or erotic films or horror films... The boundaries cannot be defined. It's to each his own.
As a director, I design every movie to be true to itself, and damn it if they like it, and damn it if they don't.
If you ask me, I alternate between truly bizarre, what you would call 'Hollywood' movies and truly bizarre, what you would call 'arthouse' movies.
But I think we are seeing a resurgence of the graphic ghost story like The Others, Devil's Backbone and The Sixth Sense. It is a return to more gothic atmospheric ghost storytelling.
The saddest journey in the world is the one that follows a precise itinerary. Then you're not a traveler. You're a f@@king tourist.
When you start with Super 8, you are everything. You're the DP, the sound man, the effects guy. And what I started understanding, by working for other people, is that the best type of director is someone who rose through the ranks.
If you want to know the theory and methods of revolution, you must take part in revolution.
We don't have to engage in grand, heroic actions to participate in the process of change. Small acts, when multiplied by millions of people, can transform the world.
There is nothing wrong with changing a plan when the situation has changed.
But now, we are becoming suspicious of the very things we have long celebrated - free markets, trade, immigration, and technological change. And all this is happening when the tide is going our way. Just as the world is opening up, America is closing down.
Once you understand that habits can change, you have the freedom and the responsibility to remake them. Once you understand that habits can be rebuilt, the power of habit becomes easier to grasp and the only option left is to get to work.
Our generation has the ability and the responsibility to make our ever-more connected world a more hopeful, stable and peaceful place.
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