The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom

The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz is often described as life-changing, but I found it surprisingly underwhelming. While the four principles—be impeccable with your word, don’t take anything personally, don’t make assumptions, and always do your best—are meaningful, they’re presented in a way that feels overly simplistic and repetitive. The writing feels basic, almost like reading the thoughts of an adolescent who’s just discovered these ideas and is eager to share, but without much depth or nuance. It’s not a bad book, but given all the hype, I expected something more profound or thought-provoking. Instead, it left me feeling a bit disappointed and unfulfilled.

Very decent book but very narrow minded. This may be the point though due to the potential requirement of specificity and repetition. Not exactly the most profitable read but helps many people understand that we do have a power and control over ourselves. Unfortunately it is pretty dramatic in instances where it does not need to be and can either confuse or deter the reader from fully understanding what it is trying to teach. Decent overall, good in areas, great in others, but not completely an optimal use of time.

I'm always interested in learning about others' beliefs, but I don't know what I think of this book. On one hand the writer attempts to change the readers' perspective, which is no small task - and the first chapter is a fire hose of statements that the reader is supposed to accept without question. That's challenging as I don't agree with every statement (i.e., the authors definitions of "faith", "fear", or even "true justice/injustice" or the idea that life is a "surrender" - we test statements our whole life, yes, even as children), making me question if I agree with any of the statements. On the other hand, I agree with the power of 'being impeccable with your word' (i.e., honesty, integrity, charity), that "gossip is poison" (in fact, the section on gossip may be the highlight of the book), I agree that taking things personally can be soul destroying, we shouldn't make assumptions, and that we should always do our best. Overall, an interesting read.