To go deeper into this, there is this misconception that stability (bonds) mean higher potential energy. People speak of potential energy being "stored" in stable bonds (covalent) or weak bonds (intermolecular attractions). That's why you hear people speak of solid, which has more intermolecular interactions, as having higher potential energy. But this is wrong. There is no potential energy "stored" in such bonds. Bonds, whether strong or weak, intramolecular or intermolecular, are REDUCTION of potential energy relative to free particles. For example, if 2 free oxygen atoms have potential energy of zero (with respect to PE, zero is arbitrary), then O2 molecule has NEGATIVE potential energy, not positive potential energy. This is why breaking a bond always requires energy, and formation of a bond releases energy. If you think of solids as having weak bonds between molecules, then it is clear that solids must have less positive or more negative potential energy than liquids and gases.