What is this?
A mini interactive tribute to Jenny Holzer's Truisms made by Gina Trapani.
Sparked by a visit to Holzer's Light Line exhibit at the Guggenheim in New York City in 2024.
Made with hand-written HTML, JavaScript, CSS, Google Fonts, Zed, zertosh/jenny-holzer-truisms, and many Stack Overflow posts, MDN, and W3 docs. No frameworks, builds, AI, or best practices involved.
description is more important than metaphor
redistributing wealth is imperative
dependence can be a meal ticket
leisure time is a gigantic smoke screen
you must be intimate with a token few
it's important to stay clean on all levels
politics is used for personal gain
you can live on through your descendants
solitude is enriching
expressing anger is necessary
the desire to reproduce is a death wish
you must have one grand passion
self-contempt can do more harm than good
calm is more conductive to creativity than is anxiety
absolute submission can be a form of freedom
good deeds eventually are rewarded
sex differences are here to stay
unique things must be the most valuable
your oldest fears are the worst ones
you don't know what's what until you support yourself
planning for the future is escapism
physical culture is second best
humanism is obsolete
random mating is good for debunking sex myths
there's nothing except what you sense
people who go crazy are too sensitive
with perseverance you can discover any truth
alienation produces eccentrics or revolutionaries
men are not monogamous by nature
worrying can help you prepare
threatening someone sexually is a horrible act
giving free rein to your emotions is an honest way to live
drama often obscures the real issues
if you have many desires your life will be interesting
at times your unconsciousness is truer than your conscious mind
it is heroic to try to stop time
opacity is an irresistible challenge
when something terrible happens people wake up
everyone's work is equally important
humor is a release
morals are for little people
going with the flow is soothing but risky
stupid people shouldn't breed
disgust is the appropriate response to most situations
artificial desires are despoiling the earth
grass roots agitation is the only hope
torture is barbaric
pursuing pleasure for the sake of pleasure will ruin you
lack of charisma can be fatal
extreme behavior has its basis in pathological psychology
you owe the world not the other way around
class structure is as artificial as plastic
pain can be a very positive thing
change is valuable when the oppressed become tyrants
anger or hate can be a useful motivating force
faithfulness is a social not a biological law
elaboration is a form of pollution
a name means a lot just by itself
the family is living on borrowed time
it's crucial to have an active fantasy life
self-awareness can be crippling
confusing yourself is a way to stay honest
nothing upsets the balance of good and evil
a single event can have infinitely many interpretations
the idea of revolution is an adolescent fantasy
spending too much time on self-improvement is antisocial
people are nuts if they think they are important
children are the most cruel of all
everything that's interesting is new
exceptional people deserve special concessions
your actions ae pointless if no one notices
revolution begins with changes in the individual
much was decided before you were born
inheritance must be abolished
don't place to much trust in experts
illness is a state of mind
the new is nothing but a restatement of the old
go all out in romance and let the chips fall where they may
a sense of timing is the mark of genius
repetition is the best way to learn
private property created crime
low expectations are good protection
it's just an accident that your parents are your parents
sometimes things seem to happen of their own accord
sloppy thinking gets worse over time
to disagree presupposes moral integrity
money creates taste
taking a strong stand publicizes the opposite position
abstraction is a type of decadence
mostly you should mind your own business
dreaming while awake is a frightening contradiction
you are a victim of the rules you live by
moderation kills the spirit
slipping into madness is good for the sake of comparison
it's good to give extra money to charity
you are responsible for constituting the meaning of things
decadence can be an end in itself
deviants are sacrificed to increase group solidarity
we must make sacrifices to maintain our quality of life
a sincere effort is all you can ask
categorizing fear is calming
words tend to be inadequate
being alone with yourself is increasingly unpopular
dying and coming back gives you considerable perspective
ambition is just as dangerous as complacency
it is a gift to the world not to have babies
killing is unavoidable but nothing to be proud of
you can understand someone of your sex only
salvation can't be bought and sold
war is a purification rite
every achievement requires a sacrifice
teasing people sexually can have ugly consequences
unquestioning love demonstrates largesse of spirit
manual labor can be refreshing and wholesome
government is a burden on the people
myth can make reality more intelligible
it can be helpful to keep going no matter what
animalism is perfectly healthy
symbols are more meaningful than things themselves
knowledge should be advanced at all costs
a little knowledge can go a long way
hiding your emotions is despicable
looking back is the first sign of aging and decay
you are guileless in your dreams
an elite is inevitable
it's better to be a good person than a famous person
violence is permissible even desirable occasionally
there are too few immutable truths today
holding back protects your vital energies
listen when your body talks
automation is deadly
people are boring unless they are extremists
the idea of transcendence is used to obscure oppression
survival of the fittest applies to men and animals
all things are delicately interconnected
it's better to study the living fact than to analyze history
if you live simply there is nothing to worry about
you should study as much as possible
ignoring enemies is the best way to fight
fathers often use too much force
disorganization is a kind of anesthesia
a positive attitude means all the difference in the world
the unattainable is invariable attractive
believing in rebirth is the same as admitting defeat
remember you always have freedom of choice
you must disagree with authority figures
routine is a link with the past
a strong sense of duty imprisons you
labor is a life-destroying activity
knowing yourself lets you understand others
if you aren't political your personal life should be exemplary
extreme self-consciousness leads to perversion
it's vital to live in harmony with nature
sacrificing yourself for a bad cause is not a moral act
anything is a legitimate area of investigation
recluses always get weak
it's better to be lonely than to be with inferior people
it's better to be naive than jaded
timidity is laughable
the mundane is to be cherished
being happy is more important than anything else
children are the hope of the future
you can't fool others if you're fooling yourself
in some instances it's better to die than to continue
mothers shouldn't make too many sacrifices
push yourself to the limit as often as possible
offer very little information about yourself
to volunteer is reactionary
a lot of professionals are crackpots
chasing the new is dangerous to society
the sum of your actions determines what you are
people who don't work with their hands are parasites
being sure of yourself means you're a fool
selfishness is the most basic motivation
playing it safe can cause a lot of damage in the long run
wishing things away is not effective
ideals are replaced by conventional goals at a certain age
at times inactivity is preferable to mindless functioning
resolutions serve to ease our conscience
routine small excesses are worse than then the occasional debauch
action causes more trouble than thought
you must know where you stop and the world begins
talking is used to hide one's inability to act
crime against property is relatively unimportant
fear is the greatest incapacitator
it's not good to hold too many absolutes
loving animals is a substitute activity
using force to stop force is absurd
a relaxed man is not necessarily a better man
just believing something can make it happen
even your family can betray you
potential counts for nothing until it's realized
any surplus is immoral
selflessness is the highest achievement
freedom is a luxury not a necessity
the idiosyncratic has lost its authority
emotional responses are as valuable as intellectual responses
habitual contempt doesn't reflect a finer sensibility
people are responsible for what they do unless they are insane
religion causes as many problems as it solves
class action is a nice idea with no substance
the cruelest disappointment is when you let yourself down
technology will make or break us
if you can't leave your mark give up
often you should act like you are sexless
sometimes science advances faster than it should
rechanneling destructive impulses is a sign of maturity
there's nothing redeeming in toil
trading a life for a life is fair enough
strong emotional attachment stems from basic insecurity
decency is a relative thing
the world operates according to discoverable laws
it's not good to operate on credit
old friends are better left in the past
relativity is no boon to mankind
it is man's fate to outsmart himself
a man can't know what it is to be a mother
the only way to be pure is to stay by yourself
people won't behave if they have nothing to lose
separatism is the way to a new beginning
fake or real indifference is a powerful personal weapon
dying should be as easy as falling off a log
romantic love was invented to manipulate women
sterilization is a weapon of the rulers
thinking too much can only cause problems
ensure that your life stays in flux
starvation is nature's way
you can't expect people to be something they're not
eating too much is criminal
the most profound things are inexpressible
boredom makes you do crazy things
expiring for love is beautiful but stupid
most people are not fit to rule themselves
murder has its sexual side
sin is a means of social control
you are the past present and future
imposing order is man's vocation for chaos is hell
stasis is a dream state
abuse of power comes as no surprise
occasionally principles are more valuable than people
enjoy yourself because you can't change anything anyway
awful punishment awaits really bad people
being judgmental is a sign of life
bad intentions can yield good results
guilt and self-laceration are indulgences
ambivalence can ruin your life
monomania is a prerequisite of success
true freedom is frightful
raise boys and girls the same way
keep something in reserve for emergencies
noise can be hostile
a solid home base builds a sense of self
you have to hurt others to be extraordinary