--- # Daily Inspiration: "Better a known rival than an unpredictable friend." **URL:** https://jimcarroll.com/2026/01/daily-inspiration-better-a-known-rival-than-an-unpredictable-friend/ Date: 2026-01-26 Author: JimCarroll Post Type: post Summary: “Better a known rival than an unpredictable friend.” – Futurist Jim Carroll There’s lots of talk online about what happens when partnerships become unstable. When one side of a partnership slides over the abyss of rationality, into a mindset of madness. When what was once reliable becomes volatile, when the predictable becomes uncertain, and the […] Categories: Blog, Daily Inspiration Featured Image: https://jimcarroll.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/KnownRival.jpg --- *"Better a known rival than an unpredictable friend."* - Futurist Jim Carroll ![](https://jimcarroll.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/KnownRival.jpg) There's lots of talk online about what happens when partnerships become unstable. When one side of a partnership slides over the abyss of rationality, into a mindset of madness. When what was once reliable becomes volatile, when the predictable becomes uncertain, and the rational, irrational. And the lesson is that you have to pick your partners carefully. Strategically. Wisely. With caution. With due diligence. With both eyes wide open and elbows up. You'll never move forward if you keep trying to rely on a relationship that has become untenable. Partnership involves predictable, rational action. And when that disappears, so should the reliance on the partnership - because it becomes time to form new ones. Those partnerships might involve choices that in an old world might not have made sense, but in a new world, demand attention. 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