The Four Agreements is another powerful read by the author who brings the wisdom of the Toltec who were known throughout southern Mexico as “women and men of knowledge.” He relates the wisdom with easy to grasp examples. It is a quick read but it is not meant to be read quickly. It’s rather meant to be read one or two chapters per day to absorb the wisdom.

The Four Agreements give a lot to think about:

Be impeccable with your word. The words we speak out are very powerful and we don’t always think enough before speaking out.

Don’t take anything personally. What others say reflects their problems not ours. It represents them not us.

Don’t make assumptions. Too often we assume things instead of simply asking.

Always do your best.

This book is juvenile. The universally acceptable platitudes that make up the four agreements are the only useful phrases in the book. Every explanation is conclusory, circular, and intentionally unclear. His conclusions aren't drawn from any deductive reasoning or analysis, and nothing rings true. I suppose you could find solace in the book if you wanted to blame your parents and society for your unhappiness, but I am not unhappy and I don't believe that anyone else is responsible for my happiness. Don't waste your time.

What an amazing little book! Definitely the sort you sit down to read outside, amongst nature, feeling the breeze on your face, hearing the birds all around ... while immersed in such truthful/wisdom-like words.

I know this book has been read many (check out the amount of reviews on Amazon

The book is okay; it has some good advice. The only thing I didn’t like was that it’s way too spiritual for me, especially in some parts, though some people might enjoy that.
It’s short, so it doesn’t take much of your time. It’s worth a read if you want something simple with a few good insights.

I don’t like to include summaries in my reviews, but this might be helpful if you’re practical:

Be Impeccable with Your Word
Speak with integrity and say only what you mean. Avoid using words to harm yourself or others through gossip, lies, or negativity. Use the power of your words to create love, truth, and positivity.

Don't Take Anything Personally
Understand that other people’s actions and words are a reflection of their reality, not yours. By not taking things personally, you free yourself from unnecessary suffering caused by others' judgments or opinions.

Don't Make Assumptions
Avoid making assumptions about what others think, feel, or intend. Misunderstandings often arise from assumptions. Instead, communicate clearly and ask questions to ensure mutual understanding.

Always Do Your Best
Your "best" may vary from day to day depending on circumstances, but strive to give your full effort in everything you do. No more, no less. By doing your best, you minimize regret, self-judgment, and guilt.

Positives:
-It's good to be reminded not to assume why people treat you a certain way. It is often not personal.
-I liked the thought that if you shouldn't take negative comments personally, you also shouldn't take positive comments personally. Trying to believe one side and not the other is contradictory, and our views of ourselves should be maintained on our own.
Negatives:
-I felt there was a lot of filler fluff and repetition.
-The author tried to simplify religion to a point where it didn't mean anything. Seemed kind of like he was trying to take the easy way out instead of actually analyzing why different religions believe different things. Comments like telling me to forgive God didn't make any sense. From my studies, it works the other way around since I didn't make the rules. :)

¿Sabéis esos libros que subrayarías la mayoría de sus frases; incluso si eso representaría para algunos maltratarlo? Pues así lo he dejado: subrayado electrónicamente... Vamos, que pocas páginas se han salvado de mis dedos :) Sé que cuando un libro nos gusta (enamora), se produce en nosotros un querer contagiar a otros este subidón, pero en este caso solo os pido que leáis la primera página; solo eso. Si os convence, adelante, sino, pues hay tantos libros por escoger que no vamos a quedarnos atorados en éste. Sencillamente es como un cuento explicado al fuego de una hoguera. Un susurro de los ancestros mientras nos cubrimos los hombros con una manta y tomamos una bebida bien caliente. Un soplo de brisa...

تمومش کردم، برای بار دوم دارم گوش میدمش، سرشار از انرژی مثبت، همچنان توصیه میشه

I thought this was a amazing book especially for my age group. It is so normalized to gossip and talk badly about people that we don’t even notice we are placing a curse to so many people we don’t truly know. To truly understand the meaning of our words we must learn to listen to ourselves. This book states four agreements, which are, being impeccable with your word, don’t take anything personally, don’t make assumptions and always do your best. While I read this everything fell into place. I related to personal experiences and how it felt to be talked badly about by any stranger, but especially how i’ve done the same time and time again without thinking. We can great insecurities with our word never thinking of it ourselves again. We manifest things when we say negative things about ourselves that we repeat so much we believe them. By thinking everything said about us is personally about us, we are mistaken. Positive or negative comments from someone have no connection to us. We are all stuck in our own minds that we don’t have time to think of the other. It’s not necessarily bad, but we have to learn to be calm in our own minds and not put our thoughts against ourselves. If we achieve this, the only problem is the rest of the world, not us.

Just like any other self-help book, it sounds like a cyclic-repetitive dance of words. Don't know if it intentional or that's how all the self-help books end up sounding due to brimming plagiarism. But this too for me was juvenile, banal and repetitive. This book is filled with platitudes about how one should go on condemning the prevailing and existing to set onto the journey of betterment.

I am not against it, but was expecting this book more on Shamanism, exposition of nature for self-healing and Toltec wisdom from this erudite who was a surgeon and then turned into a Toltec spiritualist.

Author Don Miguel Ruiz was born into a family of Shamans and went onto attending medical school to become a surgeon. His bloodline inspired him to explore more of his ancient ancestral wisdom. Four Agreements is a synopsis of his findings and ancient wisdom.

The concoction of the four agreements is -

1. Be impeccable with your word.

2. Don’t take anything personally.

3. Don’t make assumptions.

4. Always do your best.

The edifying journey of these many pages for knowing the above four principles from a well-known Shaman wasn't worth the effort for me. It was not volcanic or earth-shattering. We all are already aware of the principles, and these books definitely hep us to recall, remind and stay inspired to do better, but then I already have too many books doing this job.

I had better Shamanic expectations from Don Miguel Ruiz

Promoted as “A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom,” The Four Agreements was not my first choice to read in my spare time. Upon request of a dear friend, I forcibly attempted this 138-page book mustering somewhat of an open mind. Already, I have wasted many years as an idealist, grasping at wishful thinking as a way to truth. Being a childhood survivor of religious indocrination, I now err on the side of skepticism before embracing any proposal as legitimate. That preface made, I share with you my thoughts about The Four Agreements.

Not surprisingly, author Don Miguel Ruiz was born into a family of shamanism. This background led him to explore a path of self-inquiry and ancient ancestral wisdom. From his experiences, he penned the essay-like Four Agreements, expressing his viewpoint about the self.

He opens the book with an old tale about a man calling himself “The Smoky Mirror.” My skepticism nearly gagged at this point, and I was only through the roman numerals of the book pages. I could already see which direction he was headed. He launches into a romanticized dissertation about the Domestication of the Planet and ends with a statement of living in heaven on earth. If that’s not an overused cliché, what is? Now, we are ready for the life-altering Four Agreements…sarcasm intended.

What are the Four Agreements?

1.tBe impeccable with your word.
2.tDon’t take anything personally.
3.tDon’t make assumptions.
4.tAlways do your best.

Was this a revolutionary message worth 138-pages of my time? What unique perspective could he shed on these hackneyed topics purported by flashy motivational speakers? I expected disappointment, but I suspended my disbelief initially. After reading some of the following statements, I no longer took his book seriously. It transformed from self-help into a humorous description of his biased utopia.

Here are (only) three of the outrageous statements that have no factual basis:

1.tI see a friend and I say, “Hmmmm! I see that kind of color in your face in people who are going to get cancer.” If he listens to the word, and if he agrees, he will have cancer in less than one year. That is the power of the word. (page 29)
2.tLove in action only produces happiness. (page 128)
3.tThe only reason you suffer is because you choose to suffer. (page 129)

As you deduced, this book seemed a shallow journaling of the positive-thinking-movement. I speculate that the writers of the publicized book, “The Secret,” found a predecessor in this book. For those who swear by The Secret’s principles, cozy up in your reading recliner with The Four Agreements and a steaming cup of coffee. Immerse yourself in the pages of this elementary-level read. Experience those warm and fuzzy feelings while you think happy thoughts and live in that fairytale land of Peter Pan.

“Whatever happens around you, don't take it personally... Nothing other people do is because of you. It is because of themselves.”

It's written in a simple manner, but it addresses difficult issues that can help you make significant changes in your life.

Ruiz describes the Toltec word Mitote near the opening of the book, which translates to "an illusion in one's head formed out of what other people say." He goes on to say that the majority of us have been living our lives based on the perspectives of others rather than how we want to see ourselves and conduct our lives. The first section of the book explains how each of the agreements might influence how we think about ourselves and how we interact with others.n  

The latter part of the book is dedicated to explaining the Four Agreements, which are:

1. Be impeccable with your word
2. Don’t take anything personally
3. Don’t make assumptions
4. Always do your best.
n
A section called "Be Impeccable With Your Word" was really helpful to me. This agreement covers how to avoid gossip, lying, empty promises, and other ways that our words might cause issues. Only express what you mean, and be aware that if you're not careful, you could hurt someone.

n  You might like to check out more similar books here.n

Към такива книги подхождам винаги скептично. Към биографията на авторите им - още повече. Всъщност не вярвам на нито една дума. В крайна сметка американският книжен пазар е движен от парите, и при добри изгледи за печалба приема всякакви шарлатани с всевъзможни пъстри псевдоними.

В случая с толтеките: тази стара цивилизация е загадка за археолози и историци и до днес. Колко от мъдростта им да е оцеляла, още повече пък непроменена?

Само че старите суеверия или народни практики не са за подценяване. Изворът им се губи във времето, смесва различни - противоречащи си - езически и християнски елементи, които често вървят ръка за ръка с идиотски от днешна гледна точка практики. Но... Но! И с някои позабравени истини, които се срещат във всички религии и култури - жилави и оцеляващи. Опората, която завръща човек от прекаленото му отвяваване в съвременния стресов (макар че коя ли епоха не е стресираща, като почнем със стогодишната война например?!) начин на живот.

Та така и с четирите споразумения. Като се абстрахира човек от по-екзотичните и метафизични моменти в книгата, които не са чак толкова много за 130 страници, тези кратички принципи са стари като света - от древните писания та до днешната бизнес литература, и понякога не е зле да си ги припомни човек: