Ain't no man can avoid being born average, but there ain't no man got to be common.

The quote draws a sharp distinction between “average” as an unchosen starting point and “common” as a chosen outcome. Paige suggests that no one controls the conditions of birth—talent, class, opportunity, or reputation—but everyone retains agency over whether they live with imagination, dignity, and excellence. The colloquial phrasing reinforces the democratic thrust of the idea: greatness is not reserved for the privileged, and distinction can be earned through attitude and effort. In a broader sense, it is a moral claim about self-making—refusing complacency, resisting the flattening pressures of conformity, and insisting that personal standards, not origins, define a life.