The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom
Ratings204
Average rating3.6
I read this book as part of an online book club and now want my own copy. Everyone needs to read this book. This book is so good as it highlights how you are your own responsibility and not to takes things personally, etc. it's short but I had to re-read and soak it in because the words were so wise.
Every now and again I revisit The Four Agreements, especially when I feel a bit stagnant or conflicted in certain areas of my life. I am constantly re-reading it, and I think it offers valuable lessons that I'm still trying to implement myself.
Good basics - not a fan of the writing style. I do not recommend audiobook, instead maybe a bedside night read.
Really good reminders - Really effective once personally. Some smaller stuff I don't agree with ig
Miguel Ruiz's “The Four Agreements” is a concise yet deeply impactful guide to personal freedom and happiness. I found the four core messages both logical and profoundly useful, with the first two agreements—“Be impeccable with your word” and “Don't take anything personally”—resonating strongly with me. They reminded me of Buddhist teachings on “right speech” and the concept of “non-self,” adding a spiritual depth to their practical wisdom. The other two agreements—“Don't make assumptions” and “Always do your best”—are equally insightful and easy to apply to everyday life. The book's brevity makes it a quick read, but its messages linger long after. I read most of it on the first evening, unable to put it down. A must-read for anyone seeking clarity and transformation in their life.
This could be a one-sitting book for a lot of people and it is definitely a quick, streamlined guide to a spiritually healthy life. The simplicity of the plan that the author lays out is also what makes this such a plausible, practical, and encouraging read. And anyone who is not already in tune with these concepts or wired this way will certainly have a plethora of takeaways from the book.
Peaceful book, love it
I would say that the “approach life like a child” part isn't my cup of tea
Great read! Very well-written, concise, and catchy. I wish it was part of the mandatory school reads! :)
A nice book with a great message and ideas but it???s overwritten and over explained.
I was introduced to this book out of a recommendation and decided to listen to this one as an audiobook. Ruiz's methodology and the “Four Agreements” themselves are definitely something I agree with for the most part. What I got the most out of this book is the idea of believing and trusting in oneself, not caring about what others think and to live in the present and drop the weight of the past and future. I'm very happy I chose the audiobook version because I'm not sure I could sit through reading this one from start to finish. The writing is too oversimplified and repetitive for me to read a full book on, while even the audiobook was tough to listen to due to the narrator's slowed down approach as if the reader is 5 years old. Despite this, I appreciate the themes and what the author is ultimately getting at towards the reader. A little bit too new agey for me, yes, but if you can take something positive out of this book, such as living to your best and living in the moment while dropping all the weight of self doubt, then that's the only accomplishment you need from this book.
This is a small book, but each page is packed with wisdom. This is the same universal wisdom that can be found in every tradition but presented from the Toltec perspective.
Unconscious agreements that we have with ourselves and with reality are the root of all problems. Changing those and installing new conscious agreements is the way of creating personal heaven instead of hell. This might sound mystical, but it's as practical as it gets.
These ideas are directly connected to how we feel about life in general, how we perceive reality, and ourselves. And as it turns out, changing those is the key to living the best life possible. This book gives insights based on that perspective.
One thing that the book lacked a bit was direct instruction on how to experience and integrate those agreements into our lives. You need additional resources/books to get that, but if you contemplate wisdom nuggets from this book as well, your understanding can deepen.
A fantastic book that I'm going to be re-reading but also applying the concepts learned from it in my own life. My next task after reading this is to re-examine my life and ensure that I'm in unity with the four agreements outlined in this book.
Easy easy read. A reminder of simple things that everybody should already know. Most of the book is decent, then it gets a little too spiritual for my taste, but overall good suggestions that might resonate with some people more than others.
I'm totally behind the message and the four agreements itself, but I'm also behind all 2-star reviews. This could have been told in 1/4 of the words, with a lot less dreamy, black magic white magic voodoo talk.
Go watch an explanatory video or podcast instead.
As good as the advice in this book is, it's hard to consider it groundbreaking. Part of that could be due to the prominence of these ideas in culture today. The 4 agreements are quite simple:
1. Be your word (treat agreements as unbreakable)
2. Don't take anything personally (it's not about you)
3. Don't make assumptions (expectations without an agreement are assumptions)
4. Always do your best
This is a short take on these ideas and why with just these 4 rules you can live a happier, more productive, more fulfilled life. In my past job, we did quite a number of personal development/self-help talks and exercises. The idea of agreements/expectations was a big one, so those two on this list felt directly out of that. “Don't take anything personally” reminds me of stoicism, and “always do your best” is good advice for a 1st grader on up.
While not revolutionary, these are good reminders and inspiration for sure.
As good as the advice in this book is, it's hard to consider it groundbreaking. Part of that could be due to the prominence of these ideas in culture today. The 4 agreements are quite simple:
- Be your word (treat agreements as unbreakable)
- Don't take anything personally (it's not about you)
- Don't make assumptions (expectations without an agreement are assumptions)
- Always do your best
This is a short take on these ideas and why with just these 4 rules you can live a happier, more productive, more fulfilled life. In my past job, we did quite a number of personal development/self-help talks and exercises. The idea of agreements/expectations was a big one, so those two on this list felt directly out of that. “Don't take anything personally” reminds me of stoicism, and “always do your best” is good advice for a 1st grader on up.
While not revolutionary, these are good reminders and inspiration for sure.
lots of really great insights/reminders, particularly when it comes to overcoming how we are conditioned by our own upbringings. the four agreements are a good place to start to build a new foundation, move in the right direction.
I like the 4 agreements and I enjoyed thinking about them over the last few days and probably will for a good long time. There's a lot of freeing wisdom in them.
But.
The front bookflap was enough for me. It was the TLDR and I wish I stuck to that. So succinct and somehow more practical and relatable. While I greatly enjoyed the lessons and got a lot of value out of it, I hated reading the book. All the talk about smoke and mirrors and stars and poison and curses and dreams made me feel like I showed up at the wrong party. Super uncomfortable, not relatable, and didn't feel true. I'm reminded why I never read this when gifted to me 7 years ago. This says more about me than the book, I know (see? I read it!)
But the flap? That's good stuff.
If I could only choose one book for all of humanity to read, this would be it. Simple. Powerful. Life changing.
Potentially life changing. He puts into words thoughts and ideas I've been cultivating for some years now.
if you feel compelled to read this, either at someone's suggestion or because, like me, you're on a tour of self-help books, then do yourself the favojr of reading the inside of the book jacket. all the ideas, none of the horrid verbiage.