Peace on earth would mean the end of civilization as we know it.

Taken at face value, the line is a bleakly comic paradox: if “civilization as we know it” is built on rivalry, militarism, and the economic and political systems that manage conflict, then genuine “peace on earth” would require dismantling many of the structures and habits that currently define modern life. Attributed to Joseph Heller, it fits his satirical sensibility—exposing how institutions normalize perpetual crisis and how lofty ideals can sound threatening to those invested in the status quo. The sting comes from implying that what we call “civilization” may be inseparable from organized violence, making peace not merely desirable but radically transformative.