"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's quote recommends that he does not think that a war combated with atomic bombs will cause the end of civilization. He thinks that such a war would be devastating, but that civilization would make it through. He approximates that two-thirds of the people on Earth would be killed in such a war. This is a sobering thought, as it suggests that a large part of the world's population would be eliminated. It also suggests that the survivors would have to restore their lives and societies from the ashes of the war. Einstein's quote functions as a warning to the world about the damaging power of atomic weapons and the requirement to avoid war at all costs. It is a pointer that war is not a service to any problem which it ought to be prevented at all expenses.