Bronze statues don’t bleed

20 enigmatic proverbs generated by AI

Bronze Statue from Villa dei Papiri, 1st century CE. Museo Archeologico, Naples. Picture by Imaish

GPT-3 performs flawlessly when the tasks are simple, well-defined, and iterative. For this exercise, I fed 20 Nepali proverbs into the engine, and witnessed how the AI slowly managed to mimic and aemulate the structure of a proverb.

A stunning achievement of GPT-3 is its ability to create meaning, even when a human mind will fail to see it. One could say, it is doomed to find meaning. This makes GPT-3 a perfect brainstorming or problem-solving device. Also, because of this fatal inherent drive, some of its suggestions can be surreal, like in dreams — language here has taken an extra leap; a place where the human mind could, but would normally not venture.

Needless to say, also the interpretation of the proverbs are AI-generated.

The stars (⭐) mark my personal favorites.

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1. Reading a book hides the flame on the stove — To do other things will distract from the task.
2. A fish rots from the head — People fail as a leader, for the leader is the first to fail.
3. ⭐Demons dance twice ⭐— There are always two parties in a conflict.
4. The one who unties the knot is the same who tied it — A person who forgives also is one who committed a mistake and was forgiven.
5. Sometimes the captain is the cause of the sinking — The leader/authority can be the reason for failure.
6. ⭐Seven days in the sun is enough to burn⭐ — If a person does not get used to something, it will be harmful for him.
7. Don’t use a knife to grind sesame — Don’t use a tool for a purpose it’s not meant for.
8. A big wheel does not turn about a small peg — Big things don’t depend on small things.
9. ⭐The war is not over until the war drum is broken⭐ — A war is not over until the last soldier surrenders or is killed.
10. Among the giants, you must walk with a giant’s step — If you want to imitate somebody, you must be willing to put enough effort to resemble that.
11. ⭐Wield the sword and mind your bracelet ⭐— Protecting the body with a weapon that can harm oneself.
12. Horns and helmets don’t mix well — There is no place for people with different interests to work together, like a priest and a soldier.
13. ⭐Bronze statues don’t bleed ⭐— The dead cannot defend themselves.
14. Wells without covers are easily filled — Discreet people and easy to fool.
15. Whenever cards are shown, it’s Jack who wins — The smallest/weakest is the strongest/most cunning one.
16. ⭐Torn shoes are better than broken feet ⭐— An imperfect decision is better than no decision.
17. Hold no one as angel or devil — Beware of any person.
18. Sly looks often hide a weak heart — Don’t trust someone who acts confident.
19. ⭐Spray with perfume and swing a club⭐ — Powerful appearance/actions are not always trustworthy.
20. Standing still in a playground won’t attract any marbles — Easy profits must not be expected to come to you.

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