Ian Paisley quotes: the former DUP leader in his own words

Ian Paisley, the former leader of the Democratic Unionist Party, has died at the age of 88.

His widow Eileen Paisley, a fellow member of the House of Lords, said in a statement: "My beloved husband, Ian, entered his eternal rest this morning. Although ours is the grand hope of reunion, naturally as a family we are heartbroken. We loved him and he adored us, and our earthly lives are forever changed."

According to The Guardian, Paisley went on "a remarkable political journey which began with him opposing mild reforms to the unionist-dominated Northern Ireland state in the late 1950s and early 60s to sharing power with his one-time mortal enemies Sinn Féin in the 21st century".

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Here is how Paisley saw some of the key moments in that journey, in his own words:

To Lord Molyneaux, his rival Ulster Unionist leader of the 1980s: "You are a Judas Iscariot."

On the European Union: "A beast ridden by the harlot Catholic church."

On Catholics: "They breed like rabbits and multiply like vermin."

On demands that he should sit down and talk with Sinn Féin: "I am not going to sit down with bloodthirsty monsters who have been killing and terrifying my people."

On the Anglo-Irish Agreement: "It was a surrender document, and even very mild unionists would admit that. It did unite the unionist people, for the first time I could sit in company with Ulster Unionists who saw the same way as I was seeing."

On saying the IRA was the armed wing of the Catholic Church: "Well that's true, it stands true in history. They have been, the people of the church of Rome used to further their interests."

To Pope John Paul II on a visit to the European Parliament in October 1988: "I denounce you, Anti-Christ! I refuse you as Christ's enemy and Anti-christ with all your false doctrine."

On Gerry Adams in 1997: "I will never sit down with Gerry Adams ... he'd sit with anyone. He'd sit down with the devil. In fact, Adams does sit down with the devil."

After the IRA's decommissioning of its arms: "We are not going into government with Sinn Féin."

On agreeing to a power-sharing deal with former IRA leader Martin McGuinness as his Deputy First Minister: "If anybody had told me a few years ago that I would be doing this, I would have been unbelieving."

In his inaugural speech as First Minister: "I believe that Northern Ireland has come to a time of peace, a time when hate will no longer rule. How good it will be to be part of a wonderful healing in our province."