I think when we wake up in the morning, we can choose between

The words of Guillermo del Toro are like a lantern lifted against the darkness: “I think when we wake up in the morning, we can choose between fear and love. Every morning. And every morning, if you choose one, that doesn’t define you until the end... The way you end your story is important. It’s important that we choose love over fear, because love is the answer.” Here, the master of myth and shadow reveals his deepest wisdom — that every day of life is a choice, a battle not of swords and crowns, but of the heart itself.

The meaning of this quote lies in the recognition of our freedom. Each dawn, we stand at a crossroads: to choose fear, which binds us, or to choose love, which frees us. Fear narrows, isolates, and imprisons; love expands, unites, and heals. Yet del Toro reminds us with tenderness that even if we stumble, even if we choose fear one day, we are not condemned forever. For life is a tapestry woven from many mornings, and what defines us is not one thread, but the pattern we create by our final choice.

The origin of such wisdom is found in del Toro’s own art. His films — from Pan’s Labyrinth to The Shape of Water — are filled with monsters, but always they reveal that the true battle is not between humans and beasts, but between fear and love. The fascist officer in Pan’s Labyrinth embodies fear, cruelty, and domination, while the young girl Ofelia embodies love, sacrifice, and courage. In The Shape of Water, society mocks and imprisons what it does not understand, yet love, in its strangeness, triumphs over fear. Through story, del Toro has always taught that the heart’s decision is what matters most.

History confirms this lesson. In the darkest days of apartheid, Nelson Mandela chose love over fear. He could have lived embittered, filled with hatred after decades in prison, but instead he embraced reconciliation. His choice did not erase the years of fear and violence, but it defined the ending of his story, and through that ending, changed the destiny of a nation. Likewise, Mahatma Gandhi stood before the might of an empire not with swords, but with the strength of love and nonviolence. His choice of love over fear echoed across the world and still guides us today.

There is also in del Toro’s words a reminder of mortality. The end of the story matters. How we finish our days will speak louder than our moments of weakness. Just as a symphony is remembered for its final notes, so too a life is remembered for how it closes — whether with bitterness or with compassion, whether with fear clutched tight or with love freely given. This is why each morning matters: every dawn is a rehearsal for the final choice, and if we practice love each day, we will be ready when the last page comes.

The lesson is clear: when you rise each morning, pause and ask yourself, “Will I choose fear or will I choose love?” In fear, you may cling to comfort, reject others, and turn away from possibility. In love, you will open your heart, give, forgive, and grow. The decision may seem small, but repeated across days and years, it becomes the story of your life. And though you may falter, though you may choose fear at times, never forget that the ending is yours to write.

So let us take Guillermo del Toro’s teaching into our hearts: love is the answer. Not once, not sometimes, but always. Each morning is a new chance, each sunrise a new invitation. Choose love until it becomes your final word, your closing note, the banner under which your story ends. And when you do, your life, like the best of del Toro’s stories, will shine with truth — that even in a world of monsters, love conquers fear, and love endures.