Dubbed the Vicar of Bray of politics and known as the "Survivor" during his time, Mikoyan was one of the few Old Bolsheviks who was spared from Stalin's purges and was able to retire comfortably from political life. This was highlighted in a number of popular sayings in Russian, including "From Ilyich to Ilyich [Brezhnev ... without heart attack or stroke!"("Ot Ilyicha do Ilyicha bez infarkta i paralicha"). One veteran Soviet official described his political career in the following manner: "The rascal was able to walk through Red Square on a rainy day without an umbrella without getting wet. He could dodge the raindrops."