The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz | A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom, Wisdom and Inner Peace | Embrace Powerful Life Lessons for Happiness and Success

One of the best books I have read so far. Very simple and practical. Highly recommended.

It’s such a shame I didn’t read this book back in school or childhood and read chemistry and mathematics instead!!!!Page 20, stated by Miguel Guiz: “In your whole life nobody has ever abused you more than you abused yourself”I am speechless and shedding silent tears. For this is absolutely true!For a very long term ever since my journey in the field of medicine began I have been trying to acquire a way to liberate myself from the hell the whole industry casts upon its service providers should they not measure up to what’s needed at any point——I wanted to liberate myself from that hell for probably a decade or more. I wanted a hard-boiled answer for the reason behind why, as doctors, we should be denied compassion and consideration in the process of becoming an expert. Why? This book gave me the answer and I can honestly say, I have found it!I wanted to know why, if this is what I will doing for a while now, I would need to brave for the rest of life through a career that is forever hinged against people who are ever ready to curse these very doctors at the slightest unintended mishap. This includes teachers and professors who don’t ever mind using terse, objective language to teach the students. Whatever happened to compassion?????I wanted to know how, just how I could, by any means match the whole process of being a doctor to my personality of being a silent, calm-minded, compassionate, creative individual who above all, really cares about peace. I was seeking liberation from this maze forever and ever, and Miguel answered it very handsomely! The agreements that bully my mind are right here (pointing to my head). So to repeat his revelatory words:Page 20, stated by Miguel Guiz: “In your whole life nobody has ever abused you more than you abused yourself”A personal story to explain how this book helped me. To be honest, it beautifully liberated me from a personal life issue and so many others!!! Putting this story up in public is a way of overriding the 'shame-whisper' that's right me urging me back from typing. If you want to dearly understand how this book helped me you have to read this story I am writing:My Story--> I am an Ophthalmologist. In Ophthalmology, while doing Cataract Surgery, we are required to carefully extract the cataract out and then assess if the posterior capsule of the cataracts lens is intact and thereafter proceed towards placing a human-made Lens over it. If the capsule is damaged, you are in trouble, you can't place the lens over it. This is a skill which takes every surgeon lot and lot of time to learn---months, years...I recall making a rent in the posterior capsule in a patient recently. Accidentally. In the process of making it, I had not noticed that I had made it but when I did, my teacher yelled at me like crazy inside the operation theatre right there in front of the patient and others. This, I disagree with. Why? Not because I shouldn't be told where I am wrong but because a rent, which is often inevitable no matter how much experience you gain, is supposed to be learnt to handle as much as otherwise (which of course doesn't mention that you rent away at will!!). Second reason, the patient's ears are wide open and he can sense disturbances in the words spoken by the surgeons swarming around him----by no means should the patient be allowed to understand that a problem has happened else he will agitate and grow apprehensive for the life of his delicate organ. Third reason--> The problem can be handled in various ways and there are actual tutorials on that and it is very possible to recover from it by following one or the other of those ways. And, fourth reason--> This reason I saved for the last and yet I think it is pertinent for a teacher to not reject a beginner in the skill for an error she had only noticed a little late---> rejecting someone solves nothing, :) that's why. It's just an emotional outburst that is serving no one---> not the patient, not me (because I could freeze the urge to learn further simply because I am being berated so harshly when on the whole I REALLY was trying my best), not even the yeller------> yelling, raises bad hormones (cortisol, Adrenaline), tenses the muscles, robs one off peace. It is doing no good to the deliverer. Ignorance, hell!But, needless to say, I kept ruminating about it for days—this happens to be the very bad-habit that allows me to write well. But look at the amount of suffering it causes in the process!As Miguel Ruiz imparts wisdom of the Toltec, he states that there was once a man who lived in a cave who suddenly woke up from a dream, one day, to take a serious look at his hands and feet, to come to a strange realisation——that we are all made up of stars and light——the exact same thing—only on the surface we are different. This usher of clairvoyance enabled him to operate forever thereafter from a very different standpoint, all the time——that is he saw himself in everything and everyone, everywhere! In that he attained personal liberation. Miguel explains that if this is possible for one man, what currently rests in the world is a dream-world. And honestly, dear friends, in the midst of AUM chanting which I do everyday, I discovered that we really are locked in a waking dream. The focus around "what I like" and "what I dislike" creates a separation-oriented dream world---when reality is we are all one and the same. Even the concept of ourselves as who we have defined ourselves is a concept——it is as much a reverberating bleep as is every other thought. Essentially, as Miguel says, we are operating from the way we were domesticated (that’s the word he uses) as a child——when we were branded with “what is good” and “what is bad”, so that by and by we learnt to push aside our natural tendencies and become one of the crowd. By adulthood, we are absolutely unrecognisable from what we original came here as!These inner domestication code of ethics that we operate form serve to demonise our experience of life all the life——anytime we stray from it, we punish ourselves——it may not even be visible to outsiders.Now how this book came to help me nullify the memory of my issue at work, is through two of his statements:1.According to Miguel Ruiz,“Not being perfect, we reject ourselves, And the level of self-rejection depends upon how effective the adults were in breaking our integrity. After domestication it is no longer about being good enough for anybody else. We are not good enough for ourselves because we don’t fit with our own image of perfection. We cannot forgive ourselves for not being what we wish to be, or rather what we believe we should be. We cannot forgive ourselves for not being perfect.”So, I was clinging onto a code of ethics of how I-MUST-BE to be a good-person at work. In doing so, a mistake, even if unintended and accidental is like a baton being dug into the tissues of my brains!2.“We judge others according to our image of perfection as well, an naturally fall short of our expectations.”I was judging my ma’am. You may have felt it when you read my description of my personal issue. But then am I not living the exact same dreamscape as herself?!The solution, as described in the book, is seeing things for what they are. Fullstop.||||Another line from his book which completely transformed me ever since I read it and began applying it is:“ Taking everything personally is an expression of the maximum form of selfishness because we make the assumption that everything is about “me””I am often cursed for preferring silence and solitude as opposed to social circles (I prefer being an introvert). I began applying this line and I actually felt liberated despite the recent scorns of introversion from close circles. Wow!||||There is so much more this book taught me, but I refuse to state more because that would take away the delight of reading it.Oh and one more! One of his teachings revolve around doing work such for the sake of doing. When you do it that way, you experience liberation. So if I am promoting my book, if I am doing it for the mere pleasure of promoting, there you go, I experience liberation! Because the process itself is becoming more joyous now---reaching out to people who genuinely care about books, coming to think of it I actually love it! The more I think this way, the more I enjoy the process and I actually forget the outcome when I am enjoying the process!If I am doing it for a reward, it is crushing to watch anybody refuse at my request!I had to share this because these personal examples of transformation as a result of Miguel’s book will show you just how much it is opening doorways into liberation for me!Trust me, ultimately, all of us want one thing—liberation!We really don’t need the other things!these books should be taught in childhood!I recommend this book for everybody---I promise you these four agreements if applied will liberate you!

Great book

I love the quality of hard cover and pages of book ! The content is very insightful . Very easy language . The agreements are the things which you all already know but hard to follow in actual life .

The Four Agreements is one of the most powerful and easy-to-understand books I have read. The lessons are simple, practical, and can be applied in daily life immediately. Each agreement—being impeccable with your word, not taking things personally, not making assumptions, and always doing your best—has helped me think more clearly and live with more peace.The writing is very clear, and the examples make every point easy to understand. This book is small, but the impact is huge. I recommend it to anyone who wants to improve their mindset, relationships, and overall happiness.Highly recommended!

It is an okay read. I like the four agreements but reasoning he gives is lacking at many places. The book is quite repetitive as well.In particular, it oversimplifies the path to happiness by saying love all human beings, don't take things personally. The argument is jot convincing.

Anyone facing major life changes or facing difficulties in life i would really recommend this book. I am half through, my thinking and the way i see life or treat people has completely changed. Love it! I have read alot of other motivational or spiritual books but this book have explained everything so nicely and easily that it hits, like you get the point instantly. Love it and im sure you will too.

The Four Agreements is a simple and powerful read. Don Miguel Ruiz breaks down four important principles in a way that’s easy to get and surprisingly impactful. If you actually put them into practice, they can shift the way you live and relate to others. It’s a book I’d definitely recommend.

The Four Agreements is a practical guide to personal freedom, based on Toltec ancient Wisdom. The Toltec lived in southern Mexico and were known for their knowledge.According to the Toltecs, gaining personal freedom seems to be achievable for those who pay attention to the four (positive) agreements to improve their own lifes. Agreements can be chosen in the past, such as destructive behaviours and limiting beliefs about oneself. To improve, it is necessary to become aware of old agreements and get rid of them.Dissolving old agreements can be reached firstly by taking care of the usage of words as they are a powerful means and can be very destructive. Secondly by not taking anything personally in a negative or positive way. Thirdly it's very wise to avoid making assumptions about someone and asking questions instead to build up a clearer perspective. Fourthly, after paying attention to the first three agreements, but especially being conscious of the impact of words, one should always give the best in life.All the agreements sound rather simple to maintain, but at the beginning of the book, the author stresses, that sticking to these four "rules" requires a strong will and can't probably be achieved within a short period of time, since old agreements must first be dissolved and replaced.All in all, this book is very fascinating to read. It's a rather short read but provides enough information about the Toltec's philosophy.

Such a great book, so insightful. And also, a very easy read. Was done reading this book in less than a day. Great read.

very interesting book which in my perspective teaches us how to be aligned with ourselves and to free ourselves from people's expectations, a bit of stoicism in it

Waste of paper, time and money. It could have been a set of four post-its with one agreement on each.

Best book ever. And good quality