Seeing defects within one's self

"Hazrat Umar (ra) prayed: 'May God show mercy on the man who points out mydefects to me'."

"... mix with people and know their faults... a believer is a mirror to anotherbeliever. He sees his defects from the defects from others."

(Source: (Translation of) Ihya Ulum-id-Din, Chapter on Good Conduct)

Seeing things for what they are

"A throne is only a bench covered with velvet."

(Source: London Underground poster, attributed to Napoleon Bonaparte)

My kind of guy.

My death, imminent. My grave, too small for benches and materials.