Phrases, "taste", and Language Models

Why some words land differently

I heard a sentence I like recently: “now is the only time there is”.

Later that day, I thought of two other ways of articulating the same idea, but they somehow feel less profound.

• “now is all you have”

• “there is only now”

AI’s “taste”

Curious, I decided to ask Chat GPT to analyse them.

you are a linguist and communication expert.
please review these three sentences from the structure and linguistics principle,
**pick the most powerful and memorable version, and explain why**

1. "now is the only time there is"
2. "now is all you have"
3. "there is only now"

It picked the third sentence: “there is only now”.

In contrast:
- "Now is the only time there is" is longer and slightly more complex in structure.
   The additional words can dilute the immediacy and impact of the message.
- "Now is all you have" personalizes the message but lacks the universality and
   broader philosophical resonance of "there is only now."

Therefore, "There is only now" stands out as the most powerful and memorable version
due to its simplicity, clarity, rhythm, and philosophical depth.

Yet I find the third sentence to actually be the least punchy and memorable. I still like the first sentence the most: now is the only time there is. It makes an assertion, similar to structure of proverbs and has this nice rhythm to it.

This minimally-prompted AI and I have different “taste”, I supoose.

But then I tried prompting the LLM again, asking it to explain why “now is the only time there is” is powerful and memorable. It then gladly conjured up some convincing reasons to justify my choice.

you are a linguist and communication expert.
please review these three sentences from the structure and linguistics principle
and explain why the first one is more powerful and memorable

1. "now is the only time there is"
2. "now is all you have"
3. "there is only now"

Here’s the response:

The first sentence, “Now is the only time there is,” is more powerful and memorable due to its balanced structure, use of definitive language, and broad existential scope. The parallelism and rhythmic quality make it pleasing to the ear, while the absolute nature of the statement imparts a sense of profound truth that resonates deeply.

In contrast, the second sentence, “Now is all you have,” while direct and personal, lacks the same structural and rhythmic complexity, making it less impactful. The third sentence, “There is only now,” though concise and emphasizing immediacy, lacks the rhythmic balance and universal scope of the first sentence, making it less memorable and powerful.

Sounds sophisticated, convincing, and well justified.

My friends’ taste

I ran the poll on Twitter. Miniscule sample size, but interestingly the version that got the most vote is “now is all you have”, the second sentence!

Is it because the first sentence (the one I like the most) is truncated by Twitter poll? Could be, but I can see why “now is all you have” is also great. The subject is clear (“you”), the action is clear (“have”), and the object is upfront (“now”).

While “now is the only time there is” is rather passive and abstract — the way I tend to think.

And “there is only now” lacks that punch of agency. It feels like an empty assertion that is late to the party.

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What do you think? Which sentence lands best for you? Is it something in the way I prompt it? Is it even the right use case for LLMs? Do LLMs have taste? Or do they just have a ball of confused average of our taste? How can we draw it out?

Where is the line between us trusting our taste & things we can’t fully explain and getting convinced by confabulated logic & reasons?