Though Susan Harris was a gifted and hardworking writer, she had dedicated her life to her early career. By the time she had achieved the level of success she had been vying for in her professional career, Harris was smart enough to take a step back and enjoy the fruits of her labor.

By the time Harris found success with The Golden Girls, she had already made her mark on television with sitcoms like Soap, which originally ran from 1977 until 1981. During that time, Harris worked heavily on writing for the series. However, the dedication took its toll on the creative’s time and energy. She found that her life was consumed by work, and it taught her a valuable lesson.

During an interview with The Miami Herald, Harris explained that when she began working on The Golden Girls, she refused to claim responsibility for writing more than a handful of episodes.

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“Life is too short,” said Harris. “It’s hard because I care about Golden Girls a lot. I like the characters, I like the actresses, I like the people involved. But I can’t get sucked in again. I never loved writing like I loved writing for Soap. And Soap paid for a lot of things. Soap bought this house. It paid for the freedom I have now. And it was fun. I remember laughing a lot. But it was not a happy time. There was a price. I never want to work that hard again. I guess Soap made me just wealthy enough not to want to - or have to - do it anymore.”