The Four Agreements - Miguel Ruiz - A Short Summary & Review
The Four Agreements - Miguel Ruiz - A Short Summary & Review
By: a.d. elliott | Take the Back Roads - Art and Other Odd Adventures
A Rite of Fancy Book Recommendation and Review
A short summary:
Written by Miguel Ruiz, The Four Agreements distills Toltec wisdom into four guiding principles meant to reduce suffering and increase personal freedom.
The agreements are simple in structure but demanding in practice:
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Be impeccable with your word.
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Don’t take anything personally.
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Don’t make assumptions.
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Always do your best.
Ruiz frames these agreements as tools for dismantling self-limiting beliefs and internalized narratives. Rather than offering elaborate rituals or doctrine, the book focuses on awareness, responsibility, and conscious choice—arguing that much of human suffering comes not from events themselves, but from the stories we tell about them.
My favorite quote from the book:
Questions to ponder while reading:
My review:
This is a simple concept that is deceptively hard to execute.
The idea of being impeccable with your word alone is enough to challenge most people, especially in a culture that rewards exaggeration, reaction, and careless speech. Ruiz’s insistence that your word shapes both your inner world and your external relationships is bracing in its clarity.
What I appreciate most is how little the book pretends. There’s no promise of instant transformation. The work is repetitive, internal, and ongoing. You are your word, and that requires daily attention.
The Four Agreements reads quickly, but it isn’t something you finish and move on from. It’s something you circle back to, especially on days when improvement feels aspirational rather than actual.
Always improving, not perfectly, but consciously.
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About the Author
a.d. elliott is a wanderer, photographer, and storyteller traveling through life
She shares her journeys at Take the Back Roads, explores new reads at Rite of Fancy, and highlights U.S. military biographies at Everyday Patriot.
You can also browse her online photography gallery at shop.takethebackroads.com.
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