In resistance to civil government what does thoreau mean by saying that he must not pursue his own interests

It seems that your question is incomplete, so I had to look for the missing details. So here is the answer. In Resistance to Civil Government, what Thoreau means by saying that  he must not pursue his own interests while "sitting upon another man's shoulders... I must get off him first" is that, he cannot and must not support the actions of the government that can put others in danger. Hope this helps.