--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Have you ever watched someone become…" description: "\"Have you ever watched someone become American? Last week, at a national citizenship conference I organize, thirty immigrants from 17 countries swore an..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b4/eric-liu-9463_american_have-you-ever-watched-someone-become-ame_63791.jpg" --- # Have you ever watched someone become American? Last week… ![“Have you ever watched someone become American? Last week, at a national citizenship conference I organize, thirty immigrants from 17 countries swore an oath and became citizens of the United States. It was a stirring experience for the hundreds of people in the room.” quote by Eric Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b4/eric-liu-9463_american_have-you-ever-watched-someone-become-ame_63791.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b4/eric-liu-9463_american_have-you-ever-watched-someone-become-ame_63791.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b4/eric-liu-9463_american_have-you-ever-watched-someone-become-ame_63791.jpg) > “Have you ever watched someone become American? Last week, at a national citizenship conference I organize, thirty immigrants from 17 countries swore an oath and became citizens of the United States. It was a stirring experience for the hundreds of people in the room.” [Eric Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-liu/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The passage describes the powerful, collective moment when diverse immigrants formally adopt U.S. citizenship, highlighting the emotional resonance of belonging and identity formation. **In simple terms:** Immigration and national identity Key Takeaway Citizenship ceremonies forge communal bonds Themes identity belonging civic duty diversity integration Mood inspirational hopeful proud Type narrative testimonial observational When to use this quote - immigration seminars - civic education classes - community integration events - policy discussions - media coverage of naturalization Key Concepts ritual oath nationalism community Practical Applications - civic engagement programs - diversity training Questions to Reflect On - What emotions does a naturalization ceremony evoke? - How does public acknowledgment of new citizens affect social cohesion? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Citizenship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/citizenship/) [Countries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/countries/) [Experience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/experience/) [Immigrants](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/immigrants/) [Immigration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/immigration/) [Oath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/oath/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Stirring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stirring/) [United states](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/united-states/) [Week](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/week/) ## Related quotes > [Therefore one should speak at the same time of national citizenship and wider European citizenship.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-delors/therefore-one-should-speak-at-the-same-time-of-national-citizenship/) [Jacques Delors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-delors/) > [It is true that the principle of national citizenship, associated with rights, and the control of a country's borders are two key aspects of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/it-is-true-that-the-principle-of-national-citizenship-associated-with/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [The single outstanding exception was the broad yet precise mandate communicated by the General Assembly in 1946 to prepare as soon as possible the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rene-cassin/the-single-outstanding-exception-was-the-broad-yet-precise-mandate/) [Rene Cassin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rene-cassin/) > [Who knows the minds of men and how they reason and what their methodology is? But I am not going to extrapolate from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-martin/who-knows-the-minds-of-men-and-how-they-reason-and-what-their/) [Walter Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-martin/) > [That accolade, to be the best at your position in your conference, you want that on your resume.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/travis-kelce/that-accolade-to-be-the-best-at-your-position-in-your-conference-you/) [Travis Kelce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/travis-kelce/) > [You never know when you might get scrambled to an impromptu press conference.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hallie-jackson/you-never-know-when-you-might-get-scrambled-to-an-impromptu-press/) [Hallie Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hallie-jackson/) > [Now personally, I think the president should golf every day and never have a press conference. I want the leader of the free world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-mckinnon/now-personally-i-think-the-president-should-golf-every-day-and-never/) [Mark McKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-mckinnon/) > [On any given vote, on any given day, a smart senator who has taken a bold or controversial position can reach far more media…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-webb/on-any-given-vote-on-any-given-day-a-smart-senator-who-has-taken-a/) [Jim Webb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-webb/) > [The Atlantic conference in the North Atlantic off Newfoundland is a dramatic moment in World War II history because for the first time, Roosevelt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dallek/the-atlantic-conference-in-the-north-atlantic-off-newfoundland-is-a/) [Robert Dallek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dallek/) > [Conference: One man's confusion multiplied by the number of people there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikhil-saluja/conference-one-man-s-confusion-multiplied-by-the-number-of-people/) [Nikhil Saluja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikhil-saluja/) > [In a free country, government is a dull and onerous responsibility. It is a parent-teacher conference.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/in-a-free-country-government-is-a-dull-and-onerous-responsibility-it/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [People who work with me think I should cut my hair. They say casting directors are less likely to hire me with long hair…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rory-culkin/people-who-work-with-me-think-i-should-cut-my-hair-they-say-casting/) [Rory Culkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rory-culkin/) > [Typing with your fingers or thumbs is sooooo 2012. I tweeted that earlier in the year. I type with my eyes. Not only that,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-gleason/typing-with-your-fingers-or-thumbs-is-sooooo-2012-i-tweeted-that/) [Steve Gleason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-gleason/) > [I feel blessed that I had an opportunity to be in the Big Ten for four years as a player and be in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-alford/i-feel-blessed-that-i-had-an-opportunity-to-be-in-the-big-ten-for/) [Steve Alford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-alford/) > [If you go through the regular process of the House and Senate passing companion bills and then try and work out differences in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-scott/if-you-go-through-the-regular-process-of-the-house-and-senate-passing/) [Austin Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-scott/) ## More by Eric Liu > [“There was an omnivorous intellect that won him the family sobriquet of Walking Encyclopedia.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-liu/there-was-an-omnivorous-intellect-that-won-him-the-family-sobriquet/) [Eric Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-liu/) > [It turns out umpires and judges are not robots or traffic cameras, inertly monitoring deviations from a fixed zone of the permissible. They are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-liu/it-turns-out-umpires-and-judges-are-not-robots-or-traffic-cameras/) [Eric Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-liu/) > [What we should celebrate more than diversity is what we do with it. How do we bring everyone in the tent and create something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-liu/what-we-should-celebrate-more-than-diversity-is-what-we-do-with-it/) [Eric Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-liu/) > [“Far too many Americans are illiterate in power — what it is, how it operates and why some people have it. As a result,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-liu/far-too-many-americans-are-illiterate-in-power-what-it-is-how-it/) [Eric Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-liu/) > [At the heart of our public morality is the idea that he who gives generously is most virtuous and morally praiseworthy; that there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-liu/at-the-heart-of-our-public-morality-is-the-idea-that-he-who-gives/) [Eric Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-liu/) > [A basic assumption shapes most Americans’ mindset about labor: the belief that the death of unions isn’t my problem because I’m not in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-liu/a-basic-assumption-shapes-most-americans-mindset-about-labor-the/) [Eric Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-liu/) > [Americans need to call on Boomers, in their next act onstage, to behave like grown-ups. And there is no better way for them to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-liu/americans-need-to-call-on-boomers-in-their-next-act-onstage-to-behave/) [Eric Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-liu/) > [Here's a proposal, offered only partly in jest: no resident of the United States, whether born here or abroad, should get to be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-liu/here-s-a-proposal-offered-only-partly-in-jest-no-resident-of-the/) [Eric Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-liu/) > [Like the 'little emperors' of one-child China, too many Boomers were taught early that the world was made (or saved) for their comfort and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-liu/like-the-little-emperors-of-one-child-china-too-many-boomers-were/) [Eric Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-liu/) > [We're all better off...when we're all better off.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-liu/we-re-all-better-off-when-we-re-all-better-off/) [Eric Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-liu/) > [In the end no segregationist scheme has withstood the force of a simple idea: equality under law.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-liu/in-the-end-no-segregationist-scheme-has-withstood-the-force-of-a/) [Eric Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-liu/) > [From the right, you get demagogues shouting about brown-skinned anchor babies and clamoring to deport the undocumented. From the left, you get advocacy for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-liu/from-the-right-you-get-demagogues-shouting-about-brown-skinned-anchor/) [Eric Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-liu/) > [You want to defend citizenship? Don't persecute or isolate those without papers. Just live like a citizen. That'd be a first-class way to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-liu/you-want-to-defend-citizenship-don-t-persecute-or-isolate-those/) [Eric Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-liu/) > [In the end, a new Americanization movement can't just be about listing our privileges and immunities, which we catalog in our laws. It also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-liu/in-the-end-a-new-americanization-movement-can-t-just-be-about-listing/) [Eric Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-liu/) > [Much of our national debate proceeds as if China and America were locked in a zero-sum game in which one's loss is precisely the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-liu/much-of-our-national-debate-proceeds-as-if-china-and-america-were/) [Eric Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-liu/) [Explore all 72 Eric Liu quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-liu/) ## More American quotes > [I wasn't attracted to American cinema, but I fell in love with Los Angeles the minute I arrived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-varda/i-wasn-t-attracted-to-american-cinema-but-i-fell-in-love-with-los/) [Agnes Varda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-varda/) > [William Maxwell's my favorite North American writer, I think. And an Irish writer who used to write for 'The New Yorker' called Maeve Brennan,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-munro/william-maxwell-s-my-favorite-north-american-writer-i-think-and-an/) [Alice Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-munro/) > [I have fallen in love with American names, the sharp names that never get fat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-vincent-benet/i-have-fallen-in-love-with-american-names-the-sharp-names-that-never/) [Stephen Vincent Benet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-vincent-benet/) > [I really like a lot of American country stuff, so my music has that influence, but I don't like to be set within a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jade-bird/i-really-like-a-lot-of-american-country-stuff-so-my-music-has-that/) [Jade Bird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jade-bird/) > [I certainly don't think that the heirs of the American Revolution were a particularly noble class.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-w-brands/i-certainly-don-t-think-that-the-heirs-of-the-american-revolution/) [H. W. Brands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-w-brands/) > [Congress passed the American Rescue Plan Act in a tremendous investment to support millions of workers without a paycheck and behind on bills.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-auchincloss/congress-passed-the-american-rescue-plan-act-in-a-tremendous/) [Jake Auchincloss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-auchincloss/) > [Small businesses are the backbone of the American economy and employ almost half of the working population. Yet because of their size, they rarely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-lipinski/small-businesses-are-the-backbone-of-the-american-economy-and-employ/) [Dan Lipinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-lipinski/) > [Although I write in English, and despite the fact that I'm from America, I consider myself an Armenian writer. The words I use are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-saroyan/although-i-write-in-english-and-despite-the-fact-that-i-m-from/) [William Saroyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-saroyan/) > [When we first sold the Wallace and Gromit shorts to America, people suggested we get rid of the strange British accents and put clear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-park/when-we-first-sold-the-wallace-and-gromit-shorts-to-america-people/) [Nick Park](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-park/) > [Firefighters and rescue workers are American superheroes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-kennedy/firefighters-and-rescue-workers-are-american-superheroes/) [Kerry Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-kennedy/) > [France has not only built a bureaucratic barrier against American culture, it has constructed a notorious intellectual case against it as well. The French…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-cowen/france-has-not-only-built-a-bureaucratic-barrier-against-american/) [Tyler Cowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-cowen/) > [New York and San Francisco are distinctly different. San Francisco is driving the American media, not New York. You have young, microwaved millionaires and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-whitlock/new-york-and-san-francisco-are-distinctly-different-san-francisco-is/) [Jason Whitlock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-whitlock/) > [Well look, CIA is an agency that has to collect intelligence, do operations. We have to take risks and it's important that we take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-panetta/well-look-cia-is-an-agency-that-has-to-collect-intelligence-do/) [Leon Panetta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-panetta/) > [Food as a hobby used to be an elite pastime, and it has become something that is totally ordinary for people of every background.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-goodyear/food-as-a-hobby-used-to-be-an-elite-pastime-and-it-has-become/) [Dana Goodyear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-goodyear/) > [It's important for American soldiers to be culturally sensitive when deployed in foreign countries. But it's just as important for the U.S. never to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-bauer/it-s-important-for-american-soldiers-to-be-culturally-sensitive-when/) [Gary Bauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-bauer/) Browse all 7,717 American quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Have you ever watched someone become American? Last week, at a national citizenship conference I organize, thirty immigrants from 17 countries swore an oath and became citizens of the United States. 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