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  • The Four Agreements

  • Written by: don Miguel Ruiz
  • Narrated by: Peter Coyote
  • Length: 2 hrs and 31 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (2,582 ratings)

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The Four Agreements

Written by: don Miguel Ruiz
Narrated by: Peter Coyote
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Publisher's Summary

In The Four Agreements, don Miguel Ruiz reveals the source of self-limiting beliefs that rob us of joy and create needless suffering. Based on ancient Toltec wisdom, the The Four Agreements offer a powerful code of conduct that can rapidly transform our lives to a new experience of freedom, true happiness, and love.

Don Miguel Ruiz has dedicated his life to sharing the wisdom of the ancient Toltec. For more than two decades, he has guided others toward their personal freedom. Today, he continues to combine his unique blend of ancient wisdom and modern-day awareness through journeys to sacred sites around the world.

©1997 Migeul Angel Ruiz (P)2003 Amber-Allen Publishing

What the critics say

"Despite the New Age-sounding language, Ruiz is refreshingly clear in the presentation of his ideas. Reading aloud, actor Coyote sounds every bit the enthusiastic old hippie, genuinely excited by the concepts he is spinning." (Publishers Weekly)

Editorial Review

The Four Agreements can shape your life, and transform the way you look at the world, helping you do your best and become the best version of yourself.

Author Don Miguel Ruiz and Janet Mills present The Four Agreements, created to teach listeners to shed their old ways and embrace a new way of thinking, grounded in ancient Toltec wisdom. It outlines a code of conduct based on freeing yourself from self limitation and learning to step into true happiness and love. This inspiring book is full of great lessons and life-changing wisdom, focusing on using common sense and positivity to manifest a better life. Its main thought process comes from discovering positivity within, regardless of external circumstances or negativity, pushing aside self-limiting beliefs.

Don Miguel Ruiz's book has sold millions of copies, is a New York Times best seller, and has been translated into nearly 50 languages, bringing ancient wisdom to the modern world. One of the most well-known self-help books, The Four Agreements has gained a strong following with fans like Oprah Winfrey and other prominent celebrities. It teaches the mastery of love in a simple, uplifting way, allowing listeners to discover the real magic of finding your inner self.

This audiobook adaptation is narrated by Peter Coyote, who also voices the follow-up book, The Fifth Agreement. His calm, peaceful voice is a perfect compliment to the style of Don Jose Ruiz, and helps the listener fall into the tranquil mindset needed to experience the teachings and wisdom of this book. Get lost in The Four Agreements, and find your own inner strength and peace to follow the way of the peaceful warrior.

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What listeners say about The Four Agreements

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Short, easily digestible, great information. A+

I’ve gone through this book twice now. The essence of this book is that you’re in a whole bunch of social agreements that you didn’t actually agree to.

You have been conscripted into most things about your life without your consent, as you learned it from others when you were a child.

The book teaches you a few key lessons, such as not to feel guilty about not fulfilling agreements you didn't actually agree to.

A common exempt is family members who demand your time and emotional energy - you didn't agree to that, so you should not feel negative emotions around withdrawing from that social agreement.

The book is separated into 4 agreements:

1. Be impeccable with your word

This agreement lays out that your word is like magic, it has the power to shape someone's life. Has a parent called you fat, ugly, slow, stupid, lazy?

Have you called someone else fat, ugly, slow, stupid or lazy?

If you use your word for negative things like this or like gossip, it's like black magic.

The biggest lesson here is that using your word to say something mean or hurtful to someone is often actually hurting yourself because you make an enemy.

The author reminds us also to be impeccable with our word when talking to ourselves.

Love yourself with your word.

2. Don't take anything personally

We don't all operate in the same worlds with the same agreements. Usually when someone says something negative, they don’t even realize it because they’ve been under a spell their whole life.

When someone does mean to send verbal poison your way on purpose, if you don’t take it personally you reflect the poison back to them.

Lastly, taking things personally just means your ego is not in check.

3. Don’t make assumptions

Always better to ask questions than to make assumptions!

Your mind can easily interpret small things that have been said & dream up grand scenarios that are far away from reality by making assumptions, both good and bad.

Making assumptions in relationships can lead to emotional poison. Say what you mean, ask questions.

Don’t assume you can change someone, love people the way they are and don’t try to change anyone. Relationships suffer from these assumptions.

4. Always do your best

Your best is not always the same depending on your energy, etc. your best might change over time - but it doesn’t matter what the quality of “your best” is as long as you do your best.

If you try to do more than your best, you’ll burn out. If you do less than your best, you are more likely to break all the other rules!

Don’t expect to be rewarded for your efforts, that will cause you to do more or less than your best depending on the reward. Just do your best without expectation and you will live a fulfilled and meaningful life.

All agreements in 1 sentence:

Don’t make an assumption that you be impeccable with your word, just do your best and don’t take it personally if you fail.

55 people found this helpful

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LifeChanging

This book was absolutely outstanding. I listen to it multiple times and always get something different and inspiring. The imagery and way he writes are like non other. I have PTSD, non epileptic seizures and am in a wheelchair. Life has only been this way for me for the last 2 years. I was an avid reader prior to injury but can no longer focus long enough to get through a chapter. Audible has given me a way to get my love of books 📚 back. #Audible1. Don Miguel has given me a way to embrace life, see things from a different perspective, accept and be genuinely happy with hope for the here and now. I would recommend this book to anyone regardless of their situation.

44 people found this helpful

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Treat yourself to this book its 👍great!

you don't have to agree with this book's religious conclusions to find the content very helpful, I've listened to it several times and I just can't get enough of it

12 people found this helpful

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You'd Better Be Wide Awake

Maybe I just don't get this kind of genre, but I found the book hard to listen to. The narrator was flat, almost monotone. And kept putting me to sleep.

7 people found this helpful

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A struggle

did not like the narrator and it was a struggle to finish
no for me!

7 people found this helpful

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  • Sue
  • 2019-07-09

Life Changing

have listened to this several times and I'm not done Everyone should read or listen to this many times.
what a world we would have

6 people found this helpful

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Sublime!

I'm flabbergasted by this book. Everyone should read it for their personal development. I will listen to it again and again!

6 people found this helpful

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Meh

I had trouble connecting with many parts, overall message is good though. Very religious based.

5 people found this helpful

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a simple enough message but heavy on weird metapho

really important an inspirational message about managing your emotions and what actually comes out of your own mouth

Some of the examples are non-inclusive and slightly sexist i.e. that a woman in 2019 expects a man to read her mind and she's waiting at home all day for him to come home from work? I don't think so.

4 people found this helpful

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Wonderful Teaching

Powerful words of wisdom, will be listening to it again as repetition is the key to Reprogramming.
I increased the narrative speed to 1.5 to keep me focused.

3 people found this helpful

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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  • R. Baker
  • 2005-05-25

Incredible!!!

When I first started listening to this, I almost turned it off because it seemed way too "new age" (i.e., spiritual nonsense) for me. I am SO glad I didn't. After the first 2 minutes or so, this book is great. I think this book may have totally changed the way I look at the world. Basically, the author says life is a dream and the way you look at the world will determine if it is a nightmare or an incredible dream. However, rather than using nebulous clich?s like ?just think positive? or ?think big?, he explains how to do it in a much better way than I have ever heard. Some of it you need to take into context, in that, some of what he says might be interpreted as ?I can do no wrong? and ?the rest of the world is messed up but not me?. However, he really says don't beat yourself up over mistakes and just learn from them and move on. Also, he says that people can be way too judgmental (for various reasons which he explains) and you need to be cognizant of this before you accept what they say. Anyway, BUY THIS AUDIOBOOK!!! It is cheap and it could drastically change the way you look at the world. As an added bonus, Peter Coyote, the narrator, is excellent.

337 people found this helpful

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  • Marty
  • 2013-01-04

Making Promises to Ourselves

Our personal power is based on the agreements we make, and often we make those agreements to please others, rather than being true to ourselves. In doing so, we give away our personal power. The Four Agreements is about taking back our personal power by being authentic and by adhering to our true selves. The four agreements are: 1) Be impeccable in your word, 2) Don't take anything personally, 3) Don't make assumptions, and 4) Always do your best. While simple, these agreements are anything but easy. Ruiz encourages readers to practice these agreements everyday and forgive ourselves when we are not perfect. The effort is what's most important. This book is a quick read (or listen) and should be reread repeatedly if you truly desire to keep your agreements with yourself.

170 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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  • Sarah Browngoetz
  • 2006-08-05

A better listen than a read

I've had this book for years but could not get past the first several pages. I tried it as an audio book with much more success. I truly appreciate this book and the lessons within. It's a good read, I reccommend it.

164 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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  • sandy
  • 2007-06-25

The Four Agreements

I am so glad I picked up this book! My life had fallen off track, lost in a huge slump of depression. The message in this book helped me rise above my own harsh criticism and stop being the victim. Now I focus on each day, being the very best I can be without judging myself, always striving to keep each of the very important four agreements.

74 people found this helpful

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  • Monica
  • 2017-03-28

Be ready to make connections to your upbringing!

If you could sum up The Four Agreements in three words, what would they be?

Mind blowing, perceptive, enchanting.

What did you like best about this story?

The connections I made to the things I couldn't verbalize about my childhood. Associating and letting go of things I couldn't understand.

What about Peter Coyote’s performance did you like?

How helped me understand that my mother was only able to do the best she could with the seeds she was given to grow. You can grow juicy sweet cantaloupes when all you were given were kale seeds to grow. Don't know much about gardening but that's the best analogy I can make.

What’s an idea from the book that you will remember?

To let go of my past and embrace all that I can be because I am in control of myself.

64 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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  • Jeff
  • 2005-04-03

One Of My Favorites

This is one of the few books that made me reevaulate some of my beliefs. I'm not a changed man after 1 listen, but the ideas and advice within this book really struck home for me. If you enjoyed "The Power of Now" by Ekhart Tolle, you probably won't be disappointed here.

58 people found this helpful

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  • A. Eyre
  • 2017-04-05

Want to change your existence?

If you can keep an open mind and let go of all the hangups that you know of and listen to the story, you could get the power to finally get freedom in your life. And true freedom, the freedom that brings a chance for everlasting happiness. It comes a price though, and it comes with work: forgiveness, letting go of the past, getting rid of our victimhood and anger, and be willing to live in the ever present. But from this little person's humble perspective, it is so very worth it.

Plus, Peter Coyote has one of the best reading voices of all time and he reads this book as if speaking into my soul.

55 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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  • Nobody Important
  • 2017-03-18

relearning a lifetime of unhealthy learning

the concept is simple, the four agreements are understandable, the results are unarguable... however, the disciplined practice of awareness and action is a monumental challenge...not because it's complicated, but monumental to accomplish because it requires a complete re-writing of your deepest engrained thoughts & actions. Constant presence of mind and persistent focus will begin to untangle the lifetime of unhealthy conditioning we've all become comfortable with.

49 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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  • R. Lopez
  • 2005-02-07

Fantastic!

This book is written in very simple language, yet the teachings are profound. While the four agreements sound very simple, they are not easy to follow. However, just by paying a little attenton to information in this book can change your life. I highly recommend it!

39 people found this helpful

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  • J. Peterson
  • 2019-03-05

LISTEN BEYOND THE WOO WOO STUFF

This book is a little "woo woo", not bashing it at all, but I could see how parts of it are difficult to get through for someone who isn't into that stuff. The basis of The Four Agreements is strong and so important. Beyond the woo woo new agey tone of the book are four tenants that are SO important and vital to succeed personally and professionally. The Four Agreements are simple and easy to follow and will serve you well in life.

33 people found this helpful

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  • Mathilda
  • 2016-05-24

Supers principes à suivre pour mieux penser...

Avez-vous d'autres commentaires ?

Ce livre est très agréable à écouter. Il donne la pêche et donne vraiment envie d'appliquer ses principes. J'ai un peu décroché sur la fin, mais ai beaucoup aimé les deux premières parties. Un bon bol de bon sens qu'il fait du bien d'écouter et réécouter pour se sentir mieux en agissant mieux.

1 person found this helpful

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  • Alexandra Rodrigues
  • 2023-02-21

Répétitif et culpabiliser constamment le lecteur

Ce livre culpabilise constamment son lecteur et n’apporte aucune solution, très répétitif et n’apporte rien de nouveau.

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  • LolaParis
  • 2021-09-04

A classic for everyone

I read the book many times and being able to refresh the message via audio is wonderful.

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  • Client d'Amazon
  • 2019-05-02

i loves this book,

this book does talk about that we were domesticated in our childhood for different things. how does our words affects our perception... i recommend this book !