Q: “How are you?”
A: “I’ve been better.”

Obviously.

In a general sense, it’s highly likely that at any given moment on any given day, you have been better. Zenith, apogee, climax … these are singular moments that recede as soon as they appear.

“I’ve been better” is about as notable as saying, “I’ve been younger.”

True, but not remarkable.

Of course, it all depends on what you’re measuring.

If you’re tracking wisdom, knowledge, and temperance, it very well could be that you’ve never been better.