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I do not believe that civilization will be wiped out in a war fought with the atomic bomb. Perhaps two-thirds of the people of the earth will be killed.
Albert Einstein
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Interpretation

What this quote means

Einstein expresses skepticism about the total destruction of civilization despite the catastrophic potential of atomic warfare.

In this quote, Albert Einstein conveys his belief that while atomic warfare can lead to significant loss of life—potentially two-thirds of the population—he does not think it would result in the complete annihilation of civilization. This suggests a sense of hope for humanity's resilience and ability to rebuild even after devastating conflicts, highlighting the complexity of war and survival.

Themes

CivilizationAtomic BombWarSurvivalResilience

In practice

Example use cases

During a speech on world peace, one might use this quote to emphasize the importance of diplomacy over war.

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