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"the man who goes alone can start to-day; but he who travels with another must wait till that other is ready, and it may be a long time before they get off."

Thoreau's reasons for going to the woods around Walden Pond are also supported by his broader belief in individualism. The connection with nature, which the American Transcendentalists valued for its simplicity, is reflected in his farming experiences. In trying to feed himself of his own hand, Thoreau plants beans and corn and finds himself all but exhausted by the amount of work he must put in for such little benefit. What he realizes is that he has not yet escaped society, though he is isolated, and still finds himself striving to produce as if he were a part of the homogeneous human machine. However, his love for nature allows him to find a lesson in this: "the squirrels manifest no concern whether the woods will bear chestnuts this year or not," and therefore, he will work and eat as he is able.

Thoreau's belief in the individual, however, can be most effectively summarized with another of his "sound-bytes," with regard to the true nature of his relationship to society. He claims, "not till we have lost the world, do we begin to find ourselves, and realize where we are and the infinite extent of our relations," simultaneously affirming and undercutting his project. He believes it was necessary that he traveled to Walden Pond to live on his own for two years; however, he also realizes in the end that he is still undeniably connected to humanity, regardless of his own individuality.

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