From the Catalogue: Jenny Holzer

Selections from Truisms and Survival:

A little knowledge can go a long way
A lot of professionals are crackpots
A man can’t know what it is like to be a mother
A name means a lot just by itself
A positive attitude makes all the difference in the world
A relaxed man is not necessarily a better man
A sense of timing is the mark of genius
A sincere effort is all you can ask
A single event can have infinitely many interpretations
A solid home base builds a sense of self
A strong sense of duty imprisons you
Absolute submission can be a form of freedom
Abstraction is a type of decadence
Abuse of power comes as no surprise
Action causes more trouble than thought
Alienation produces eccentrics or revolutionaries
All things are delicately interconnected
Ambition is just as dangerous as complacency
Ambivalence can ruin your life
An elite is inevitable
Anger or hate can be a useful motivating force
Animalism is perfectly healthy
Any surplus is immoral
Anything is a legitimate area of investigation
Artificial desires are despoiling the earth
At times inactivity is preferable to mindless functioning
Automation is deadly
Awful punishment awaits really bad people
Bad intentions can yield good results
Being alone with yourself is increasingly unpopular
Being happy is more important than anything else
Being honest is not always the kindest way
Being judgemental is a sign of life
Being sure of yourself means you’re a fool
Boredom makes you do crazy things
Categorising fear is calming
Change is valuable when the oppressed become tyrants
Chasing the new is dangerous to society
Children are the most cruel of all
Children are the hope of the future
Class action is a nice idea with no substance
Class structure is as artificial as plastic
Confusing yourself is a way to stay honest
Crime against property is relatively unimportant
Decadence can be an end in itself
Decency is a relative thing
Dependence can be a meal ticket
Description is more valuable than metaphor
Deviants are sacrificed to increase group solidarity
Disgust is the appropriate response to most situations
Don’t place too much trust in experts
Drama often obscures the real issues
Dreaming whilst awake is a frightening contradiction
Dying and coming back gives you considerable perspective
Dying should be as easy as falling off a log
You are trapped on the earth so you will explode
What urge will save us now that sex won’t
Savour kindness because cruelty is always possible later
The beginning of the war will be secret
Use what is dominant in a culture to change it quickly