Berlusconi quotes - Sex, Bunga Bunga parties, Escorts, being German, Aids.

Silvio Berlusconi has finally resigned as Italian prime minister after 18years in the job. Italians are out dancing in the street in delight. There are parties being thrown to celebrate the momentous day. Hundreds lined the streets to jeer and pelt Berlusconi's official car with missiles as he drove to give his resignation.

While Italians were divided in their opinion on Berlusconi, many Italians saw him as a national embarrassment. He seemed to commit a gaffe every time he opened his mouth.

Here are some of his more memorable quotes:

"When asked if they would like to have sex with me, 30% of women said, 'Yes', while the other 70% replied, 'What, again?'"

"All of us have a homosexual part of 25%, which I also have. The only thing is that I, after a profound examination, have realised that my homosexual part is lesbian."

'Girls are lining up outside my door but I have to turn them away. I do only eight girls a night, because I can't do more.'

On Italy's growing economic crisis: "Life in Italy is life in a prosperous country. We see that on every occasion, consumption has not gone down, the restaurants are full, you have trouble booking seats on aeroplanes, holiday areas are totally booked out on long weekends. I don't think that if you went to live in Italy that Italy is feeling anything that could resemble a serious crisis."

"In Italy I am almost seen as German for my workaholism. Also I am from Milan, the city where people work the hardest. Work, work, work - I am almost German." 

"In my opinion, and not only mine, I am the best prime minister we can find today."

"The best political leader in Europe and in the world." 

Berlusconi suggests his ruling PDL party should rename itself "Forza Gnocca!", a play on the name of his original Forza Italia! (Go Italy!) party, using a slang term for female genitals. 

Advocating women should marry rich, older men: "Women are lining up to marry me. Legend has it, I know how to do it."

Berlusconi brags of "doing only eight girls a night, because I couldn't do more."

"It's better to like beautiful girls than to be gay,"

Berlusconi tells survivors of an earthquake camping in emergency tents: "They should look at it as a weekend of camping."

“Barack Obama is handsome, young and also suntanned"

"I am the Jesus Christ of politics, I am a patient victim, I put up with everyone, I sacrifice myself for everyone."

Berlusconi promises to give up sex until the next election. "Thank you dear Father Massimiliano," he tells a preacher who praised him for defending family values. "I'll try not to let you down and I promise you two and a half months of complete sexual abstinence until April 9."

On Finnish President Tarja Halonen: “I had to use all my playboy tactics, even if they have not been used for some time,"

"Mussolini never killed anyone. Mussolini sent people on holiday in (internal) exile," Berlusconi claims the  dictator was "benign".

On himself: "One citizen is equal to another (in the eyes of the law) but perhaps this one is slightly more equal than the others, given that 50 percent of Italians have given him the responsibility of governing the country"

Encouraging laid-off workers to find employment on the black market. "The most keen can certainly find a second job, maybe unofficial."

During a group photograph at an informal EU summit in Spain, Berlusconi raises two fingers behind the head of the Spanish foreign minister, Josep Pique, in the traditional Latin gesture for a cuckold.

"We should be conscious of the superiority of our civilisation, which consists of a value system that has given people widespread prosperity in those countries that embrace it, and guarantees respect for human rights and religion. This respect certainly does not exist in the Islamic countries."

"I unfortunately have never in my life been to a wild party."

"I deserve to be left in peace: enough violations of privacy."

"I am not a saint, you've all understood that."

On paying for sex: "I never understood where the satisfaction is when you're missing the pleasure of conquest."

"If I wasn't already married, I would marry you right away." Comment to a woman at a TV awards dinner.

"With you, I'd go anywhere." Comment to another woman.

Opinion about Italian secretaries: "Italy is now a great country to invest in. Today we have fewer communists and those who are still there deny having been one. Another reason to invest in Italy is that we have beautiful secretaries, superb girls."

"I am without doubt the person who's been the most persecuted in the entire history of the world and the history of man."

"There is no-one on the world stage who can compete with me."

"Out of love for Italy, I felt I had to save it from the left."

"The right man in the right job."

"I don't need to go into office for the power. I have houses all over the world, stupendous boats, beautiful airplanes, a beautiful wife, a beautiful family - I am making a sacrifice."

Mr Berlusconi jokes about Aids: "An Aids patient asks his doctor whether the sand treatment prescribed him will do any good. 'No', the doctor replies, 'but you will get accustomed to living under the earth'."

His response when told the joke was offensive: "They have lost their minds; they really have come to the end of the line, indeed they have gone beyond it. I would advise them, too, to undergo sand treatment."

Larger than life, colourful, defiant, obnoxious, bombastic, frankly often offensive - love him or hate him, there are not many politicians like Silvio Berlusconi. There will be many Italians hoping his retirement from politics is a permanent one. However with Berlusconi, who can tell? He has come-back many more times than can be counted.

xx