Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau were both born in Massachusetts. Emerson was born in Boston in 1803. Thoreau was born in Concord in 1817. Emerson attended Harvard and then became a Unitarian minister just as his father had been. Thoreau also attended Harvard but after graduation he became a teacher and opened a school. Both Emerson and Thoreau abandoned their careers to pursue transcendentalist philosophy. Emerson was one of the first to start the Transcendental Club. Thoreau became Emerson's student after he moved into his home. Thoreau simplified his needs and began to experiment with Transcendentalism through experience. Although Emerson's writings achieved national recognition during his lifetime, Thoreau saw no such fame during his lifetime. They were both active transcendentalists, but their philosophies and methods differed slightly. Emerson believed that one should live in harmony with nature. One of his essays, aptly titled "Nature," was the first published essay on transcendentalist philosophy. Emerson theorized that man was one with nature and wrote about his experiences with nature. In “Nature,” Emerson wrote that “In the woods we return to reason and faith.” Although he was the one who wrote this, it was Thoreau who went to extremes and took it literally. Although Emerson and Thoreau both believed in living in harmony with something, they differed on what they should live in harmony with. While Emerson lectured on Transcendentalist philosophy, Thoreau practiced it thoroughly. Emerson believed in living in harmony with nature. Thoreau believed in living in peace and harmony with ourselves. Thoreau took transcendentalism to extremes. He simplified every aspect of his life and returned to nature to experience the experiences of Transcendentalism. He focused on how he could live in peace and harmony with himself in nature while Emerson gave a lecture on living in harmony with nature. Thoreau took Emerson's teachings and expanded them. Emerson fulfilled his role as teacher and Thoreau that of student. They did this both while living in the same household and throughout their lives. Emerson taught transcendentalist philosophy, and Thoreau not only expanded those teachings but used them to experiment with transcendentalistism..