Consider the Asimov-Clarke treaty, where each agreed to call themself second best and the other one best.
There’s a bit more to it than that. According to the linked wiki page, Asimov was required to insist that Clarke was the best science fiction writer in the world, while Clarke was required to insist that Asimov was the best science writer in the world.
There’s a bit more to it than that. According to the linked wiki page, Asimov was required to insist that Clarke was the best science fiction writer in the world, while Clarke was required to insist that Asimov was the best science writer in the world.