Margulies shared a story she had never told publicly before — about the agonizing decision to leave ER, one of the biggest shows on television, despite being offered $27 million to stay for two more years. She was 32, owned her home, had money in the bank, and her father asked the decisive question: 'When's enough, enough?' Still conflicted as everyone around her called her crazy, she walked into a Buddhist bookstore in Los Angeles, randomly opened a book by Lama Surya Das, closed her eyes, and put her finger on a line. It read: 'I realized my mission in life was to learn more, not earn more.' The phrase became her mantra. The aftermath was brutal. A morning talk show mocked her, saying she'd 'be their doorman in ten years.' Her father's response cut to the heart of their hostility: 'What you did makes them think — what would they do? By turning that money down, it makes them feel less than, because they never would.' Ten years later, she was offered The Good Wife, which she almost lost because it was going to shoot in LA — but because she had stayed true to her values, the production moved to New York instead.