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