May 28
Everything You Need to Know about Don Miguel Ruiz’s The Four Agreements
Part of being human is the desire to experience freedom, true happiness, and love. In other words, to live a better life. But what does that consist of and how do you begin to incorporate happiness into your daily routine? That’s what Don Miguel Ruiz attempts to teach in The Four Agreements.
About Don Miguel Ruiz
Miguel Ruiz is a spiritual educator and a worldwide successful author. He is the youngest of 13 children born in Mexico. His parents were healers and practitioners of ancient Toltec traditions.
Ruiz graduated from medical school in Mexico City. He practiced neurosurgery in Tijuana until a serious car accident changed his direction in life. Ruiz has spent more than three decades guiding students to achieve personal freedom.
About The Four Agreements
In The Four Agreements, Ruiz discloses the foundation of what limits and deprives humans of joy, and how those limits generate unnecessary suffering. By incorporating the four agreements into your life, you offer yourself a powerful code of conduct that can alter your life for the better.
The four agreements consist of the following:
1. Be Impeccable With Your Word.
2. Don’t Take Anything Personally.
3. Don’t Make Assumptions.
4. Always Do Your Best.
The Four Agreements is based on ancient Toltec wisdom. The Toltec people were a Mesoamerican civilization that preceded the Aztecs. They were known for their building skills, craftsmanship, metalwork, statues, and human sacrifices.
Meaning of the Four Agreements
Be Impeccable With Your Word. Be careful not to use the power of words against yourself. When you’re cautious with your words, you never betray yourself. It is part of how you create the reality of your life story.
Don’t Take Anything Personally. When you take things personally, you only set yourself up for suffering. By avoiding this, you gain power and control of the things around you, and you see people as they are.
Don’t Make Assumptions. When you make assumptions, you are only creating lies that have no benefit. Accepting that you never really know if something is true or not is a good way of not making assumptions.
Always Do Your Best. When you do your best, you avoid placing judgment on yourself. You free yourself from guilt, blame, and self-sabotage.
“Every human is an artist. The dream of your life is to make beautiful art.”
“Find the courage to ask questions and to express what you really want. Communicate with others as clearly as you can to avoid misunderstandings, sadness and drama.”
“There is a huge amount of freedom that comes to you when you take nothing personally.”
“You can have many great ideas in your head, but what makes the difference is the action. Without action upon an idea, there will be no manifestation, no results, and no reward.”
“You don’t need to justify your love, you don’t need to explain your love, you just need to practice your love. Practice creates the master.”
“It is when we lose control that we repress the emotions, not when we are in control.”
“True justice is paying only once for each mistake. True injustice is paying more than once for each mistake.”
“You don’t need to change the world; you need to change yourself.”
“What you will see is love coming out of the trees, love coming out of the sky, love coming out of the light. You will perceive love from everything around you. This is the state of bliss.”
“The real mission you have in life is to make yourself happy, and to be happy, you have to look at what you believe, the way you judge yourself, the way you victimize yourself.”
The Interesting Facts
The Four Agreements has been translated into 46 languages.
It was first published in 1997.
The book has sold over 13 million copies.
It spent almost 10 years on The New York Times bestseller list.
It was the 36th bestselling book of the 90s.
The US Air Force gifted Don Miguel Ruiz a “challenge coin” with the words “The Four Agreements” engraved on it.
In his native country, Ruiz is referenced as a national treasure.
The American Cultural Institute of Mexico has honored Ruiz with an Honorary Degree in Cultural and Social Education.
Other Works by Ruiz
- Eros: A Return to Unconditional Love, 2021
- The Actor, 2020
- The Three Questions, 2018
- The Toltec Art of Life and Death, 2015
- The Circle of Fire, 2013
- The Fifth Agreement, 2009
- The Voice of Knowledge, 2004
- Prayers: A Communion with Our Creator, 2001
- The Mastery of Love, 1999
A Good Read
Whether you’re looking for a self-help book or something positive to read, make The Four Agreements your next book. Learn how to make promises to yourself to improve the quality of your life. If nothing else, you may learn new ways of managing your stress and gain new skills to become the best version of yourself.
