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