“You could be happier. Happier on a grander scale.” “Listen to you. Yesterday I was happy with my beach and my one painting. You’re saying I’ll be happier with no beach and six paintings.” ... “You could have done much more.” “Well, I didn’t, and that’s why I’m alive and content.” She took the inference:...“You’re saying you’re happier than me,” she said. “I’m saying you don’t seem content.” “So contentment is all? That’s it? What the fuck is contentment? The only goal is contentment?” “There are many faiths that say so.” “Which ones?” “I can’t remember. It sounded good,” he said, and she laughed... “This isn’t what I want,” he said. “I don’t want to argue. I don’t think of life as a fight. Or a climb."
— Dave Eggers, Contrapposto: A Novel (Knopf, June 9, 2026)