---
title: On reliability, a note by Arthur Galvão
url: https://arthurgalvao.work/notes/on-reliability
lang: en
---

# On reliability, a note by Arthur Galvão

> Sep 8, 2026. Posted on [X](https://x.com/arthurgalvaorl/status/2097518770050809922), [LinkedIn](https://lnkd.in/p/dzF993MV)

Markdown version of https://arthurgalvao.work/notes/on-reliability, the same content as the page, for AI agents and language models.

For me, one of the most important virtues a person can have is reliability.

It took me a long time to land on that. For years I'd have said something more exciting. Talent, maybe, or courage. Reliability sounded like the compliment you give when there's nothing else to say.

What changed my mind is that reliability has no single instance. Nobody was ever reliable on a Tuesday. It only exists across time, so you can't perform it on demand and you can't claim it about yourself. Other people hold the evidence. I find that honest.

It also sits underneath most of what I admire more loudly. Talent you can't count on is weather. Kindness that arrives at random is pleasant, but nobody can lean on it. Consistency is what lets other people build on you.

The distinction that took me longest was between reliable and agreeable. They look alike from outside and I think they're closer to opposites. Someone who says yes to everything is pleasant, and pleasant runs out. The people I trust most disappoint me earlier and less often. They say no at the start, while it's still cheap for me to hear it.

The test I keep coming back to is who you call when something matters. You call whoever picks up, says what's true, and does what they said. Talent doesn't come into it.

[All notes](https://arthurgalvao.work/notes.md)