--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: More than once, I've wished my real life…" description: "\"More than once, I've wished my real life had a delete key.\" — Harlan Coben" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6fb/harlan-coben-847_delete_more-than-once-i-ve-wished-my-real-life_775191.png" --- # More than once, I've wished my real life had a delete key. ![“More than once, I've wished my real life had a delete key.” quote by Harlan Coben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6fb/harlan-coben-847_delete_more-than-once-i-ve-wished-my-real-life_775191.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6fb/harlan-coben-847_delete_more-than-once-i-ve-wished-my-real-life_775191.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6fb/harlan-coben-847_delete_more-than-once-i-ve-wished-my-real-life_775191.png) > “More than once, I've wished my real life had a delete key.” [Harlan Coben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harlan-coben/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He wishes he could erase parts of his life, reflecting regret and desire for a fresh start. **In simple terms:** Wants a delete key for life mistakes. Key Takeaway Seek closure, move forward. Themes regret wishful thinking second chances fiction Mood melancholic hopeful Type literary reflective When to use this quote - personal therapy - writing - self‑help Key Concepts Narrative of redemption psychology of loss Questions to Reflect On - What would you change if you could? - How do you cope with past regrets? A Different Perspective May oversimplify complex emotional healing. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Delete](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/delete/) [Delete Key](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/delete-key-2954089/) [Had](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/had/) [Key](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/key/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life Delete](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-delete-995442/) [More](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/more/) [Once](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/once/) [Real](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real/) [Real life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real-life/) [Than](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/than/) [Ve Wished](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ve-wished-719886/) [Wished](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wished/) [Wished Real](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wished-real-4954368/) ## Related quotes > [“The power of the delete key.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buffy-andrews/the-power-of-the-delete-key/) [Buffy Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buffy-andrews/) > [What I know is you can't go back. You can't press delete and re-key your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-anne-peters/what-i-know-is-you-can-t-go-back-you-can-t-press-delete-and-re-key/) [Julie Anne Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-anne-peters/) > [The dirty secret of art is you don't have to show people your bad writing. That's what we have the delete key for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-mckee/the-dirty-secret-of-art-is-you-don-t-have-to-show-people-your-bad/) [Robert McKee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-mckee/) > [I wish I had a delete button in my life. To delete some people, some memories, and some feelings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-wish-i-had-a-delete-button-in-my-life-to-delete-some-people-some/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I've wished for things and never really had the chance...It's time to stop dreaming and do something about it. You've got to know what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deb-caletti/i-ve-wished-for-things-and-never-really-had-the-chance-it-s-time-to/) [Deb Caletti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deb-caletti/) > [“You’re the only thing I’ve ever wished for.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tara-sivec/you-re-the-only-thing-i-ve-ever-wished-for/) [Tara Sivec](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tara-sivec/) > [You're my shooting star because everything I've ever wished for is everything you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-re-my-shooting-star-because-everything-i-ve-ever-wished-for-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I must’ve wished for you so hard and so often you had no choice but to come true.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-day/i-must-ve-wished-for-you-so-hard-and-so-often-you-had-no-choice-but/) [Sylvia Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-day/) > [I've never wished for people to recognise me or anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diljit-dosanjh/i-ve-never-wished-for-people-to-recognise-me-or-anything/) [Diljit Dosanjh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diljit-dosanjh/) > [I've never wished I was anybody else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-earnhardt-jr/i-ve-never-wished-i-was-anybody-else/) [Dale Earnhardt Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-earnhardt-jr/) > [You must be my shooting star... everything I've wished for, is everything you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blondie/you-must-be-my-shooting-star-everything-i-ve-wished-for-is-everything/) [Blondie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blondie/) > [“Because… you make me the kind of person I’ve always wished I was.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abigail-roux/because-you-make-me-the-kind-of-person-i-ve-always-wished-i-was/) [Abigail Roux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abigail-roux/) > [“He was sure now that they’d never known each other before the Grand Canyon. Their relationship was just a trick of the Mist in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/he-was-sure-now-that-they-d-never-known-each-other-before-the-grand/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [STOP letting poisonous people ,spoil your happy life !! DELETE,BLOCK ,FORGET !!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/unkown/stop-letting-poisonous-people-spoil-your-happy-life-delete-block/) [Unkown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/unkown/) > [“The energy of all our objects transforms according to our use and handling of them. Cleanups are important not only in an aesthetic sense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-goddard/the-energy-of-all-our-objects-transforms-according-to-our-use-and/) [Donna Goddard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-goddard/) ## More by Harlan Coben > [“He flipped through the music stations as he drove, searching for some nonexistent perfect song that would be, as Stevie Nicks might sing, “hauntingly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harlan-coben/he-flipped-through-the-music-stations-as-he-drove-searching-for-some/) [Harlan Coben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harlan-coben/) > [“The whole place had a feel and aura about as warm as a cold sore.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harlan-coben/the-whole-place-had-a-feel-and-aura-about-as-warm-as-a-cold-sore/) [Harlan Coben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harlan-coben/) > [When I was seventeen, I worked as a counsellor at a co-ed sleep-away camp for eight weeks. I loved it but it could be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harlan-coben/when-i-was-seventeen-i-worked-as-a-counsellor-at-a-co-ed-sleep-away/) [Harlan Coben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harlan-coben/) > [Man plans. God laughs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harlan-coben/man-plans-god-laughs/) [Harlan Coben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harlan-coben/) > [“You could trust nature but not man.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harlan-coben/you-could-trust-nature-but-not-man/) [Harlan Coben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harlan-coben/) > [I like to see the difference between good and evil as kind of like the foul line at a baseball game. It's very thin,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harlan-coben/i-like-to-see-the-difference-between-good-and-evil-as-kind-of-like/) [Harlan Coben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harlan-coben/) > [The state of New Jersey is really two places - terrible cities and wonderful suburbs. I live in the suburbs, the final battleground of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harlan-coben/the-state-of-new-jersey-is-really-two-places-terrible-cities-and/) [Harlan Coben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harlan-coben/) > [“Esperanza's side had so many colors, Crayola sent a scout.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harlan-coben/esperanza-s-side-had-so-many-colors-crayola-sent-a-scout/) [Harlan Coben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harlan-coben/) > [You know, people call mystery novels or thrillers 'puzzles.' I never understood that, because when I buy a puzzle, I already know what it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harlan-coben/you-know-people-call-mystery-novels-or-thrillers-puzzles-i-never/) [Harlan Coben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harlan-coben/) > [“Awareness started to creep in, clawing its way past the pain and numbness. He was lying on cold ground, his right cheek on a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harlan-coben/awareness-started-to-creep-in-clawing-its-way-past-the-pain-and/) [Harlan Coben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harlan-coben/) > [“Her smile shames the sun”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harlan-coben/her-smile-shames-the-sun/) [Harlan Coben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harlan-coben/) > [This is the price you pay for having a great father. You get the wonder, the joy, the tender moments - and you get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harlan-coben/this-is-the-price-you-pay-for-having-a-great-father-you-get-the/) [Harlan Coben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harlan-coben/) > [“The words kept landing like punches, dazing Adam, sapping his resistance, leaving him shaken and confused and ready to take a standing eight count.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harlan-coben/the-words-kept-landing-like-punches-dazing-adam-sapping-his/) [Harlan Coben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harlan-coben/) > [I'm not very happy idle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harlan-coben/i-m-not-very-happy-idle/) [Harlan Coben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harlan-coben/) > [“Making friends?” Tripp asked. “I’m a people person,” Adam said. “You know he’s the VP of the board, right?” “I must remember to genuflect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harlan-coben/making-friends-tripp-asked-i-m-a-people-person-adam-said-you-know-he/) [Harlan Coben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harlan-coben/) [Explore all 351 Harlan Coben quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harlan-coben/) ## More Delete quotes > [You can't delete people out of your life . Forgetting them is hard and ignoring them doesn't work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-can-t-delete-people-out-of-your-life-forgetting-them-is-hard-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You can delete me on Facebook, you can unfollow me on Twitter, you can delete my number, but you can never unlick my butthole.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-plath/you-can-delete-me-on-facebook-you-can-unfollow-me-on-twitter-you-can/) [Sylvia Plath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-plath/) > [Unless you are cool with all of your photos and messages becoming public one day, you should delete WhatsApp from your phone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pavel-durov/unless-you-are-cool-with-all-of-your-photos-and-messages-becoming/) [Pavel Durov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pavel-durov/) > [Delete L from LOVER and all you got is OVER.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/delete-l-from-lover-and-all-you-got-is-over/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Delete,delete,delete,delete,dele…MESSAGE SENT...oooh no...WTF,u can kill me now!!!!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daless-leslie-places/delete-delete-delete-delete-dele-message-sent-oooh-no-wtf-u-can-kill/) [Daless Leslie Places](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daless-leslie-places/) > [If you delete this SMS You love me, If you keep it, You want me, If you ignore it, You adore me, If you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/babloo/if-you-delete-this-sms-you-love-me-if-you-keep-it-you-want-me-if-you/) [Babloo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/babloo/) > [Tonight...I will remember everything about you...tomarrow...I will press delete...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olga-ondush/tonight-i-will-remember-everything-about-you-tomarrow-i-will-press/) [Olga Ondush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olga-ondush/) > [“I'm not a type-O ... Don't delete me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carroll-bryant/i-m-not-a-type-o-don-t-delete-me/) [Carroll Bryant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carroll-bryant/) > [Sometimes all you have to do is erase the messages, delete the numbers and move on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sometimes-all-you-have-to-do-is-erase-the-messages-delete-the-numbers/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [What I know is you can't go back. You can't press delete and re-key your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-anne-peters/what-i-know-is-you-can-t-go-back-you-can-t-press-delete-and-re-key/) [Julie Anne Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-anne-peters/) > [Having to delete songs for making room in your iPod is like having to kill some of your children because you can't feed them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/having-to-delete-songs-for-making-room-in-your-ipod-is-like-having-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I delete the Twitter app during the season.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-herman/i-delete-the-twitter-app-during-the-season/) [Tom Herman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-herman/) > [I feel like I've had a lot of painful situations that I intentionally delete from my memory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-wilson/i-feel-like-i-ve-had-a-lot-of-painful-situations-that-i-intentionally/) [Nancy Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-wilson/) > [I can always tell how much I really like someone by how long it takes me to delete their text messages.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-can-always-tell-how-much-i-really-like-someone-by-how-long-it-takes/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Snapchat changed that perception of deleting something as bad. Online, typically you delete something if it's bad or if it's really embarrassing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-spiegel/snapchat-changed-that-perception-of-deleting-something-as-bad-online/) [Evan Spiegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-spiegel/) [Browse all 118 Delete quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/delete/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "More than once, I've wished my real life had a delete key.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Harlan Coben" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harlan-coben/more-than-once-i-ve-wished-my-real-life-had-a-delete-key/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Delete" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harlan-coben/more-than-once-i-ve-wished-my-real-life-had-a-delete-key/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6fb/harlan-coben-847_delete_more-than-once-i-ve-wished-my-real-life_775191.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6fb/harlan-coben-847_delete_more-than-once-i-ve-wished-my-real-life_775191.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6fb/harlan-coben-847_delete_more-than-once-i-ve-wished-my-real-life_775191.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“More than once, I've wished my real life had a delete key.” — Harlan Coben", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Harlan Coben", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harlan-coben/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "More than once, I've wished my...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harlan-coben/more-than-once-i-ve-wished-my-real-life-had-a-delete-key/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harlan-coben/more-than-once-i-ve-wished-my-real-life-had-a-delete-key/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```