ἀπιστέω ~ ἀπιστήσω ~ ἠπίστησα: distrust, don't believe
κτίζω κτίσω ἔκτισσα: build, create
σιωπάω ~ ἐσιώπων ~ ἐσιώπησα: be silent
πειράω ~ πειράσω ~ ἐπείρησα: try, test, experience
ἀπάγω ~ ἀπάξω ~ ἀπήγαγον: lead away, take
These are the proverbs (and there are always more proverbs at the blog):
Πλούτῳ ἀπίστει.
Προτέρα πάντων ἔκτισται σοφία.
Κρεῖττον σιωπᾶν ἐστιν ἢ λαλεῖν μάτην.
Μηδέποτε πειρῶ δύο φίλων εἶναι κριτής.
Οἱ μεγάλοι κλέπται τὸν μικρὸν ἀπάγουσι.
And now, some commentary:
Πλούτῳ ἀπίστει.
Put no faith in wealth.
This is one of the so-called Delphic maxims recorded by Stobaeus. The verb ἀπίστει is an alpha-privative: ἀ-πίστει. The noun πλοῦτος is also the name of the god of wealth; find out more at Wikipedia: Plutus.
Προτέρα πάντων ἔκτισται σοφία.
Before all things, wisdom was created.
The words also come from the Biblical book of Sirach. The verb ἔκτισται is a perfect passive form. From Greek σοφία we get the name Sophia, and for more about the Biblical tradition of Wisdom, see Wikipedia: Holy Wisdom. You can see the neuter form of προτέρα in the phrase hysteron proteron, a rhetorical device; find out more at Wikipedia: ὕστερον πρότερον.Κρεῖττον σιωπᾶν ἐστιν ἢ λαλεῖν μάτην.
To be silent is more powerful than to speak foolishly.
The Greek infinitive is a neuter noun, hence the neuter adjective: κρεῖττον with the infinitives σιωπᾶν and λαλεῖν. This is the Attic form of κρεῖσσον, and it is the comparative of κρατύ, powerful. The adverb μάτην is formed from the noun μάτη, which means "folly, foolishness." This is one of the monostichs (one-liners) of Menander; here is the meter marked:
Κρεῖττον | σιω||πᾶν ἐσ|τιν ἢ || λαλεῖν μάτην.
Μηδέποτε πειρῶ δύο φίλων εἶναι κριτής.
Do not ever try to play the judge between two friends.
There are two forms of his adverb: οὐδέποτε and μηδέποτε; this saying uses the μη form because it is an imperative (πειρῶ is a middle imperative of πειράω). This is another one of Menander's one-liners:
Μηδέποτ' πει||ρῶ δύο φίλων || εἶναι κριτής.
Οἱ μεγάλοι κλέπται τὸν μικρὸν ἀπάγουσι.
The big thieves carry the petty thief off to prison.
The words are attributed to Diogenes the Cynic. The story goes that he saw some temple priests leading away a man who had stolen a bowl that belonged to the temple treasury; the great thieves were the priests themselves, and they were leading the petty thief off to prison. Compare the English saying: "Little thieves are hanged, but great ones escape."
And here's a random proverb and a random LOLCat too:
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