--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I simply constructed a project to try to…" description: "\"I simply constructed a project to try to snap Kurt [Cobain] out of a frame of mind. I sent him a plane ticket and a driver, and he tacked the plane tic..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/208/michael-stipe-6714_answers_i-simply-constructed-a-project-to-try-to_117192.jpg" --- # I simply constructed a project to try to snap Kurt… ![“I simply constructed a project to try to snap Kurt [Cobain] out of a frame of mind. I sent him a plane ticket and a driver, and he tacked the plane ticket to the wall in the bedroom and the driver sat outside the house for 10 hours. Kurt wouldn't come out and wouldn't answer the phone.” quote by Michael Stipe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/208/michael-stipe-6714_answers_i-simply-constructed-a-project-to-try-to_117192.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/208/michael-stipe-6714_answers_i-simply-constructed-a-project-to-try-to_117192.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/208/michael-stipe-6714_answers_i-simply-constructed-a-project-to-try-to_117192.jpg) > “I simply constructed a project to try to snap Kurt \[Cobain\] out of a frame of mind. I sent him a plane ticket and a driver, and he tacked the plane ticket to the wall in the bedroom and the driver sat outside the house for 10 hours. Kurt wouldn't come out and wouldn't answer the phone.” [Michael Stipe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-stipe/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Stipe recounts a failed attempt to intervene in Kurt Cobain's mental crisis, highlighting how external help can be ignored when someone is deeply trapped in despair. **In simple terms:** Even well‑intended aid may be rejected by someone in severe depression. Key Takeaway Despair can block external rescue attempts. Themes mental health intervention despair artist struggles Mood somber empathetic Type personal anecdote cautionary tale When to use this quote - friend trying to help a suicidal person - family offering therapy - colleague offering a break Key Concepts psychological resistance limits of external support Practical Applications - listen without judgment before offering solutions - ensure professional help is involved Questions to Reflect On - What signs indicate someone needs professional mental‑health support? - How can we respect autonomy while offering help? A Different Perspective The anecdote lacks evidence of broader efficacy; personal agency and professional care are crucial. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Frame of mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/frame-of-mind/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Phones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/phones/) [Planes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/planes/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) [Wall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wall/) ## Related quotes > [Only the mind cannot be sent into exile.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ovid/only-the-mind-cannot-be-sent-into-exile/) [Ovid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ovid/) > [I've been lucky to find people who want to work with me, whom I respect and like, but the truth is there aren't that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirsten-dunst/i-ve-been-lucky-to-find-people-who-want-to-work-with-me-whom-i/) [Kirsten Dunst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirsten-dunst/) > [Every project, I try to go up another level.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/xzibit/every-project-i-try-to-go-up-another-level/) [Xzibit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/xzibit/) > [ I was doing that \[a collaboration with Kurt Cobain\] to try to save his life. The collaboration was me calling up as an excuse… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-stipe/i-was-doing-that-a-collaboration-with-kurt-cobain-to-try-to-save-his/) [Michael Stipe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-stipe/) > [ I knew \[Kurt Cobain\] and his daughter. And Courtney \[Love\] came and stayed at my house. R.E.M. worked on two records in Seattle and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-stipe/i-knew-kurt-cobain-and-his-daughter-and-courtney-love-came-and-stayed/) [Michael Stipe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-stipe/) > [I always thought Kurt Cobain was the perfect embodiment of the great alternative guitar player.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-corgan/i-always-thought-kurt-cobain-was-the-perfect-embodiment-of-the-great/) [Billy Corgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-corgan/) > [People looked to Kurt Cobain because his songs captured what they felt before they knew they felt it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-decurtis/people-looked-to-kurt-cobain-because-his-songs-captured-what-they/) [Anthony DeCurtis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-decurtis/) > [ I like Kurt Cobain. \[He\] is like my dream boyfriend. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miley-cyrus/i-like-kurt-cobain-he-is-like-my-dream-boyfriend/) [Miley Cyrus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miley-cyrus/) > [When someone like Kurt Cobain or Jack White comes out, they didn't go, "He sounds just like Muddy Waters," did they? They just said,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shingai-shoniwa/when-someone-like-kurt-cobain-or-jack-white-comes-out-they-didn-t-go/) [Shingai Shoniwa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shingai-shoniwa/) > [“There's good in all of us and I think I simply love people too much, so much that it makes me feel too fucking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-cobain/there-s-good-in-all-of-us-and-i-think-i-simply-love-people-too-much/) [Kurt Cobain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-cobain/) > [It's all magic to me. Country to punk rock, all of it. Chopin to Kurt Cobain. But it always all comes back to punk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-marsters/it-s-all-magic-to-me-country-to-punk-rock-all-of-it-chopin-to-kurt/) [James Marsters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-marsters/) > [ \[Kurt Cobain\] had a lot of German in him. Some Irish. But no Jew. I think that if he had had a little Jew… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-love/kurt-cobain-had-a-lot-of-german-in-him-some-irish-but-no-jew-i-think/) [Courtney Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-love/) > [I never met Kurt Cobain, but I felt like I got to know him in a manner probably more intimate than anyone I've known…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brett-morgen/i-never-met-kurt-cobain-but-i-felt-like-i-got-to-know-him-in-a-manner/) [Brett Morgen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brett-morgen/) > [You don't have to come from Trinidad to really love Harry Belafonte, you don't have to come from the West Coast to appreciate the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-avett/you-don-t-have-to-come-from-trinidad-to-really-love-harry-belafonte/) Seth Avett > [If Nirvana had remained a small, underground punk rock band, Kurt Cobain would still be alive. And he'd probably be living in Seattle, getting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moby/if-nirvana-had-remained-a-small-underground-punk-rock-band-kurt/) [Moby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moby/) ## More by Michael Stipe > [We don't get groupies.We get teenagers who want to read us their poetry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-stipe/we-don-t-get-groupies-we-get-teenagers-who-want-to-read-us-their/) [Michael Stipe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-stipe/) > [ At the \[teenage\] time, I did have an inkling of my sexuality. And I had an inkling that I was different from other people… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-stipe/at-the-teenage-time-i-did-have-an-inkling-of-my-sexuality-and-i-had/) [Michael Stipe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-stipe/) > [I don't find R.E.M. to be nihilistic. There is a constant undertone of joyous optimism. I'm not going to kill myself to Patti Smith…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-stipe/i-don-t-find-r-e-m-to-be-nihilistic-there-is-a-constant-undertone-of/) [Michael Stipe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-stipe/) > [I was vulnerable every day. Every night that I stepped on stage I was laying myself open.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-stipe/i-was-vulnerable-every-day-every-night-that-i-stepped-on-stage-i-was/) [Michael Stipe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-stipe/) > [We're absolutely American and distinctly so, I think. That's part of what people respond to outside of this country, part of the reason that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-stipe/we-re-absolutely-american-and-distinctly-so-i-think-that-s-part-of/) [Michael Stipe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-stipe/) > [ \[Columbia House\] magazines were how I found out about the punk world going on in New York. Because of what I read, at the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-stipe/columbia-house-magazines-were-how-i-found-out-about-the-punk-world/) [Michael Stipe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-stipe/) > [I'm tired of being this solemn poet of the masses, the enigma shrouded in a mystery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-stipe/i-m-tired-of-being-this-solemn-poet-of-the-masses-the-enigma-shrouded/) [Michael Stipe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-stipe/) > [Frankly I'm not great with heroin addicts. I tried heroin, but it was by accident. I'm not great with that level of substance abuse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-stipe/frankly-i-m-not-great-with-heroin-addicts-i-tried-heroin-but-it-was/) [Michael Stipe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-stipe/) > [The whole punk ethic was do-it-yourself, and I've always been very literal, especially as a kid. When they said that anybody can do this,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-stipe/the-whole-punk-ethic-was-do-it-yourself-and-i-ve-always-been-very/) [Michael Stipe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-stipe/) > [They spoke truth and a lot of people listened… that voice, Kurt we miss you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-stipe/they-spoke-truth-and-a-lot-of-people-listened-that-voice-kurt-we-miss/) [Michael Stipe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-stipe/) > [A wise man once said-'the skill in attending a party is knowing when it's time to leave,'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-stipe/a-wise-man-once-said-the-skill-in-attending-a-party-is-knowing-when/) [Michael Stipe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-stipe/) > [They always want me to play myself and that's a big snooze.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-stipe/they-always-want-me-to-play-myself-and-that-s-a-big-snooze/) [Michael Stipe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-stipe/) > [Anything you do as a group is fraught with compromise... But everyone 's got to do that, right? It's part of being a good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-stipe/anything-you-do-as-a-group-is-fraught-with-compromise-but-everyone-s/) [Michael Stipe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-stipe/) > [To be called an elder statesman is so unbelievably insulting. Brad Pitt is exactly three years younger than me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-stipe/to-be-called-an-elder-statesman-is-so-unbelievably-insulting-brad/) [Michael Stipe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-stipe/) > [“Death is pretty final./I'm collecting vinyl./I'm gonna DJ at the end of the world/'cause if heaven does exists/with a kickin' playlist/I don't wanna miss…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-stipe/death-is-pretty-final-i-m-collecting-vinyl-i-m-gonna-dj-at-the-end-of/) [Michael Stipe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-stipe/) [Explore all 98 Michael Stipe quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-stipe/) ## More Answers quotes > [The one thing that I keep learning over and over again is that I don't know nothing. I mean, that's my life lesson.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwayne-johnson/the-one-thing-that-i-keep-learning-over-and-over-again-is-that-i-don/) [Dwayne Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwayne-johnson/) > [Sometimes a question can hurt more than an answer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/sometimes-a-question-can-hurt-more-than-an-answer/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [You feed yourself. Make sure you have all the information, whether it's aesthetic, scientific, mathematical, I don't care what it is. Then you walk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/you-feed-yourself-make-sure-you-have-all-the-information-whether-it-s/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [I have long felt that the way to keep children out of trouble is to keep them interested in things. Lecturing to children is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-disney/i-have-long-felt-that-the-way-to-keep-children-out-of-trouble-is-to/) [Walt Disney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-disney/) > [Let me tell you that atheism has never painted a masterpiece. Atheism has never dispelled fear. Atheism has never healed a disease; faith in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hagee/let-me-tell-you-that-atheism-has-never-painted-a-masterpiece-atheism/) [John Hagee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hagee/) > [“As long as you keep searching,the answers will come.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-kynock/as-long-as-you-keep-searching-the-answers-will-come/) [Mitch Kynock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-kynock/) > [The answer to deep anxiety is the deep adoration of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-voskamp/the-answer-to-deep-anxiety-is-the-deep-adoration-of-god/) [Ann Voskamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-voskamp/) > [A dialogue is very important. It is a form of communication in which question and answer continue till a question is left without an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/a-dialogue-is-very-important-it-is-a-form-of-communication-in-which/) [Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/) > [There is a comfort in rituals, and rituals provide a framework for stability when you are trying to find answers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-norville/there-is-a-comfort-in-rituals-and-rituals-provide-a-framework-for/) [Deborah Norville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-norville/) > [A religious person answers to God, not to the elected or non-elected official.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/a-religious-person-answers-to-god-not-to-the-elected-or-non-elected/) [Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) > [Let us remember that every worldview-not just Christianity's-must give an explanation or an answer for evil and suffering...this is not just a problem distinctive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ravi-zacharias/let-us-remember-that-every-worldview-not-just-christianity-s-must/) [Ravi Zacharias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ravi-zacharias/) > [Instead of asking a girl how she feels, try looking through her recently listened to songs. The lyrics are the answer to all your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/instead-of-asking-a-girl-how-she-feels-try-looking-through-her/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [For someone to ask 'Who did you play for' and to be able to answer a single name 'Liverpool' that would be brilliant...I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-carragher/for-someone-to-ask-who-did-you-play-for-and-to-be-able-to-answer-a/) [Jamie Carragher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-carragher/) > [When the first Superman movie came out I was frequently asked "What is a hero?" ...My answer was that a hero is someone who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-reeve/when-the-first-superman-movie-came-out-i-was-frequently-asked-what-is/) [Christopher Reeve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-reeve/) > [Enjoying life isn't about finding the answers, but living the questions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-margolis/enjoying-life-isn-t-about-finding-the-answers-but-living-the-questions/) [Sue Margolis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-margolis/) Browse all 7,843 Answers quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I simply constructed a project to try to snap Kurt [Cobain] out of a frame of mind. 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