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