Being American is not a matter of birth. We must practice it every day, lest we become something else.

The quotation frames “American” identity as civic and ethical rather than biological: it is grounded in habits, commitments, and daily conduct. By saying it must be “practiced,” the speaker treats citizenship as an active discipline—participation in democratic life, respect for constitutional norms, and responsibility toward fellow citizens—rather than a passive status conferred by birthplace. The warning “lest we become something else” suggests that national character can erode through neglect, complacency, or abandonment of shared principles. In this reading, Americanness is a continual project: a set of values that must be renewed through action, not merely claimed as heritage.