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