"I could be happy doing something like architecture. It would involve another couple of years of graduate school, but that's what I studied in college. That's what I always wanted to do"
About this Quote
The specificity does the heavy lifting. “Another couple of years of graduate school” isn’t romantic; it’s procedural. By naming the extra schooling, Stevenson signals he’s not daydreaming about an alternate self, he’s mapping a plausible exit ramp. That practicality is the subtextual flex: he’s reminding us (and maybe himself) that acting is not the only thing he can do. In an industry that rewards total identification with the persona, he’s asserting a pre-celebrity identity rooted in training and intention.
“That’s what I studied in college” and “That’s what I always wanted to do” carry a faint melancholy. They imply a detour - not necessarily regret, but the awareness that a successful public life can still feel like an improvisation. The intent seems less to renounce acting than to reclaim agency: a statement that happiness might be built, literally, rather than performed.
Quote Details
| Topic | Career |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Stevenson, Parker. (2026, January 15). I could be happy doing something like architecture. It would involve another couple of years of graduate school, but that's what I studied in college. That's what I always wanted to do. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-could-be-happy-doing-something-like-163441/
Chicago Style
Stevenson, Parker. "I could be happy doing something like architecture. It would involve another couple of years of graduate school, but that's what I studied in college. That's what I always wanted to do." FixQuotes. January 15, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-could-be-happy-doing-something-like-163441/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"I could be happy doing something like architecture. It would involve another couple of years of graduate school, but that's what I studied in college. That's what I always wanted to do." FixQuotes, 15 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-could-be-happy-doing-something-like-163441/. Accessed 12 Feb. 2026.





