"It took me about eight years to put together the program that I have been living for twenty years"
About this Quote
Subtextually, she’s reframing discipline as authorship. “Put together” sounds modular, practical, almost domestic: you don’t discover a perfect life, you assemble one from pieces that work, discard what doesn’t, and keep iterating. “Living for twenty years” turns that assembly into durability, implying a kind of proof. Anyone can follow a plan for a season; the cultural pressure point is sustainability, especially for women in entertainment, where bodies and routines are policed, marketed, and constantly up for public review.
Context matters here: Henner has long been associated with wellness and self-management (and with an unusual, hyper-detailed memory that makes consistency feel both possible and scrutinized). The quote functions as a defense of slow mastery in a field that rewards reinvention and punishes aging. It’s also a subtle invitation: if her life is a program, yours can be, too not a personality makeover, but a system sturdy enough to outlast trends, roles, and the attention cycle.
Quote Details
| Topic | Habits |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Henner, Marilu. (2026, January 17). It took me about eight years to put together the program that I have been living for twenty years. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/it-took-me-about-eight-years-to-put-together-the-55095/
Chicago Style
Henner, Marilu. "It took me about eight years to put together the program that I have been living for twenty years." FixQuotes. January 17, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/it-took-me-about-eight-years-to-put-together-the-55095/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"It took me about eight years to put together the program that I have been living for twenty years." FixQuotes, 17 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/it-took-me-about-eight-years-to-put-together-the-55095/. Accessed 12 Feb. 2026.





