--- title: I Do Not Choose To Be A Common Man | The Rainmaker Group description: Thomas Paine's Common Sense provides powerful wisdom through the excerpt, I do not choose to be a common man. The best salespeople are uncommon. image: https://www.therainmakergroupinc.com/hubfs/Blog_Images/What_you_see_is_what_you_get_Bill_Bonnstetter.jpg --- [![](https://www.therainmakergroupinc.com/hubfs/Blog_Images/What_you_see_is_what_you_get_Bill_Bonnstetter.jpg) ](https://www.therainmakergroupinc.com/blog/i-do-not-choose-to-be-a-common-man) # I Do Not Choose To Be A Common Man Jun 14, 2016 by [Chris Young - The Rainmaker](https://www.therainmakergroupinc.com/blog/author/chris-young-the-rainmaker) - - - ## Bill Bonnstetter was uncommon. The world recently lost an uncommon man, Bill Bonnstetter. ![I_Do_Not_Choose_To_Be_A_Common_Man_by_Thomas_Paine_1776_Common_Sense.jpg](https://www.therainmakergroupinc.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Blog_Images/I_Do_Not_Choose_To_Be_A_Common_Man_by_Thomas_Paine_1776_Common_Sense.jpg?width=507&name=I_Do_Not_Choose_To_Be_A_Common_Man_by_Thomas_Paine_1776_Common_Sense.jpg) I only wish I could find the words to adequately describe Bill's impact on my life and those we are privileged to serve. At Bill's celebration of life, a powerful excerpt from Thomas Paine's "Common Sense" (1776) was shared.  As the words flowed through me, I realized that so few of us reach our own potential. We fail because of our mindset, the way we think. I invite you to read Thomas Paine's powerful excerpt and reflect. I challenge you to be greater than you are currently.    ## Excerpt from Thomas Paine's "Common Sense" (1776). I do not choose to be a common man, It is my right to be uncommon… if I can, I seek opportunity… not security. I do not wish to be a kept citizen, Humbled and dulled by having the State look after me. I want to take the calculated risk; To dream and to build. To fail and to succeed. I refuse to barter incentive for a dole; I prefer the challenges of life to the guaranteed existence; The thrill of fulfillment to the stale calm of Utopia. I will not trade freedom for beneficence Nor my dignity for a handout I will never cower before any master Nor bend to any threat. It is my heritage to stand erect. Proud and unafraid; To think and act for myself, To enjoy the benefit of my creations And to face the world boldly and say: This, with God’s help, I have done. All this is what it means to be an Entrepreneur. ## Bill Bonnstetter was uncommon. Bill was a pioneer who had a vision that was uncommon. Bill was the conductor who developed the insanely-accurate assessment tools we use to help our Clients identify, [coach](https://www.therainmakergroupinc.com/blog/3-steps-to-effective-sales-onboarding-and-coaching), [retain](https://www.therainmakergroupinc.com/blog/top-5-ways-to-retain-employees) and [develop](https://www.therainmakergroupinc.com/blog/a-productive-rant-about-leadership-and-organizational-development) the best salespeople possible.  People like Bill attract the sharpest minds from around the world. Thanks to Bill, I enjoyed the privilege of rubbing elbows with his team members and his network. Whatsmore, the [TTI Success Insights](http://www.ttisuccessinsights.com) team and consultant network have become a cherished part of my family. ![Doing_something_is_better_than_doing_nothing_-_Bill_Bonnstetter.png](https://www.therainmakergroupinc.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Blog_Images/Doing_something_is_better_than_doing_nothing_-_Bill_Bonnstetter.png?width=640&name=Doing_something_is_better_than_doing_nothing_-_Bill_Bonnstetter.png)  ## Be uncommon. A celebration of life for a good man is an excellent time to ask oneself, "Where am I living too small and not dreaming big enough?" But why wait for a celebration of life to decide to become uncommon? As Bill often said... ## The best is yet to come. Thank you for everything, Bill.  Until we meet again.   [![Sales Personality Aptitude Test Sample Assessment](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/115950/c393155f-9642-4d76-b164-55572d3d5928.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/115950/c393155f-9642-4d76-b164-55572d3d5928) ### Recent Posts ![feature image](https://www.therainmakergroupinc.com/hubfs/Illustration%20of%20competing%20organizational%20priorities%20and%20diverging%20paths%2c%20representing%20Organizational%20DriftTM%2c%20unclear%20direction%2c%20and%20misaligned%20execution.jpg) [ Stop the Drift™ ](https://www.therainmakergroupinc.com/blog/stop-the-drift) Jun 24, 2026 ![feature image](https://www.therainmakergroupinc.com/hubfs/iStock-1322139081.jpg) [ Build What Talent Chases™ ](https://www.therainmakergroupinc.com/blog/build-what-talent-chases) Jun 3, 2026 ![feature image](https://www.therainmakergroupinc.com/hubfs/organizational-drift-and-structural-misalignment.jpg) [ DRIFT DISCIPLINE ](https://www.therainmakergroupinc.com/blog/drift-discipline) May 28, 2026 ### Posts by Tag - [Sales Selection (49)](https://www.therainmakergroupinc.com/blog/topic/sales-selection) - [Scaling Up (40)](https://www.therainmakergroupinc.com/blog/topic/scaling-up) - [Sales Management (25)](https://www.therainmakergroupinc.com/blog/topic/sales-management) - [Sales Culture (24)](https://www.therainmakergroupinc.com/blog/topic/sales-culture) - [Sales Performance (20)](https://www.therainmakergroupinc.com/blog/topic/sales-performance) - [Leadership (19)](https://www.therainmakergroupinc.com/blog/topic/leadership) - [Mindset (17)](https://www.therainmakergroupinc.com/blog/topic/mindset) - [Sales Strategy (15)](https://www.therainmakergroupinc.com/blog/topic/sales-strategy) - [Team Effectiveness (15)](https://www.therainmakergroupinc.com/blog/topic/team-effectiveness) - [Rockefeller Habits (7)](https://www.therainmakergroupinc.com/blog/topic/rockefeller-habits) - [Culture (3)](https://www.therainmakergroupinc.com/blog/topic/culture) - [Metronomics (3)](https://www.therainmakergroupinc.com/blog/topic/metronomics) - [Blue Ocean Strategy (1)](https://www.therainmakergroupinc.com/blog/topic/blue-ocean-strategy) - [Employees (1)](https://www.therainmakergroupinc.com/blog/topic/employees) - [Founder Mode (1)](https://www.therainmakergroupinc.com/blog/topic/founder-mode) ![](https://www.facebook.com/tr?id=238051740001209&ev=PageView&noscript=1) ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Chris Young - The Rainmaker", "url" : "https://www.therainmakergroupinc.com/blog/author/chris-young-the-rainmaker" }, "dateModified" : "2022-08-12T17:29:07.607Z", "datePublished" : "2016-06-14T19:30:00.000Z", "headline" : "I Do Not Choose To Be A Common Man | The Rainmaker Group", "image" : [ "https://www.therainmakergroupinc.com/hubfs/Blog_Images/What_you_see_is_what_you_get_Bill_Bonnstetter.jpg" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://www.therainmakergroupinc.com/blog/i-do-not-choose-to-be-a-common-man", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://www.therainmakergroupinc.com/hubfs/the-rainmaker-group-logo-top-nav.svg" }, "name" : "The Rainmaker Group" } } ``` ```json { "@context" : "http://schema.org", "@type" : "Organization", "name" : "The Rainmaker Group", "sameAs" : [ "https://www.facebook.com/TheRainmakerGroup", "https://www.twitter.com/therainmaker", "https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-rainmaker-group-inc.", "https://plus.google.com/+Therainmakergroupinc" ], "url" : "https://www.therainmakergroupinc.com" } ```