The book Walden was written by Henry David Thoreau about his 2 year stay at his hand crafted house on Walden Pond. Thoreau strongly believed in transcendentalism and Walden is a great example of how his beliefs influenced his writing. Many times throughout the book Thoreau displays many memorable quotes that apply to almost everyone's lives. One quote that stands out from Walden is "If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer." This quote can be universally applied to everyone's lives in one way or another.
In the quote Thoreau uses an almost metaphorical approach. It as if Thoreau is saying that if you don't believe or think the same way as your companions, maybe you are not so much alike and maybe you have different motivations. The drummer that we all march to is different to us all. To keep pace with our companions we must exhibit communication, and sometimes with out communication the pace can be lost. Thoreau puts into perspective the difference and independence we demonstrate as individuals. .
At many times in life people lose touch with their companions. Not as if they want to, but it seems to take place and fall into shape. We would all like to stay on the same wavelength at times but it is certainly understandable that it is near impossible to do so. With the rugged individualism we all display and keep inside of us, we all keep pace to our own drummer. We as humans like to set our own pace for our lives and in doing so we often lose touch with those that don't have a similar pace. Whether we do this because we all tend to think differently or whether because we all tend to want our own way, it is not always possible to keep on the same page as everyone around us.
"If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer." Thoreau's transcendentalist beliefs are greatly shown in his writing.