Esther Perel’s line is deceptively simple: it suggests that life quality isn’t measured only by income, health metrics, or achievements, but by the web of relationships through which those things are lived. Even solitude is experienced in contrast to connection—who we miss, who we trust, who we feel seen by.
From the start, the quote reframes “a good life” as something relational rather than purely individual. That shift matters because it moves attention from personal optimization to the ongoing patterns of interaction—support, conflict, belonging, and meaning—that make daily life feel spacious or constrained. [...]
