"Ode" to Thoreau (not intended for singing)

I have grown to have great respect and admiration for Abraham Lincoln, and Henry David Thoreau. For as long as I can remember Lincoln has always stuck in my head, he's such a strong person and had so many personal experiences in his life that he learned from and in turn helped make our country a little better. Thoreau is very self explanatory, but to be honest I dont know quite as much about him as I do Lincoln. Gandhi a great man himself said this on the essay Henry wrote; Civil Disobedience. 

"Thoreau was a great writer, philosopher, poet, and withal a most practical man, that is, he taught nothing he was not prepared to practice in himself. He was one of the greatest and most moral men America has produced. At the time of the abolition of slavery movement, he wrote his famous essay "On the Duty of Civil Disobedience". He went to gaol for the sake of his principles and suffering humanity. His essay has, therefore, been sanctified by suffering. Moreover, it is written for all time. Its incisive logic is unanswerable."

—"For Passive Resisters" (1907)[17]

1967 U.S. postage stamp honoring Thoreau

(I wonder what it'd cost to get my hands on one of these)

I think that everyone knows or at least has heard one of Henry David Thoreau's quotes or poems in their life time. A simple quote of his I enjoy is "Dreams are the touchstones of our character". Simple, yet so much meaning behind it. Here's one I have been pondering for most of the day.

"If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears the sound of a different drummer. Let him step to the music he hears, however measured of far away."

I've noticed that I am trying to dissect it and figure out all of its meaning. I'd like to know what your take on this is. I dont care if its surface stuff or indepth. I'm just curious how others view it, since we all have ou own opinions. I would share with you my thoughts on it, but I cant quite grasp my head around it. Believe me I tried writing out my thoughts and feelings on it just to have another thought enter into my mind. I finally came to the conclusion that it was just a web of nonsense (reading it as an ousider I would think). So just let me know, I hope its as perplexing to you as I find it, yet wonderfully amazing.

Berlin  

sorry I didnt have time to proof read it!