The Four Agreements

A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom

By Don Miguel Ruiz

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About the book

A person's life, Don Miguel Ruiz argues, is governed by the agreements made with oneself, with others, with society and with God, and those agreements decide how people see themselves and what they believe they are worth. Writing with Janet Mills, Ruiz presents a code of conduct he says is based on Toltec teachings, built around four commitments: keeping one's word impeccable, taking nothing personally, making no assumptions and always doing one's best. Chapters include linguistic and historical context for each idea. First published in 1997, it found a wide audience after Oprah Winfrey endorsed it on her show in 2001 and again in 2013, and it remained a New York Times bestseller for more than ten years.

Jack Dorsey named it in a Product Hunt live session when asked which books had influenced him or which he liked most, and Mark Manson called it perhaps the most condensed wisdom available, quick to read but a lifetime to practice.

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This book has 9 recommendations

Jack Dorsey (CEO/Twitter)

Question: What are the books that had a major influence on you? Or simply the ones you like the most.

Jack Dorsey: Tao te Ching, score takes care of itself, between the world and me, the four agreements, the old man and the sea...I love reading!

Recommended by Ola Olusoga (Co-founder/Populum)

Source: Interview with Ola Olusoga: How Books Have Guided His Path To Self-Discovery

Joel Gascoigne (Co-founder/Buffer)

The Four Agreements introduce the idea of "don't take anything personally" to me in a whole new light. This is a book based on ancient Toltec wisdom and refers to this concept in terms of removing ego. I was recommended this book by one of our awesome investors Robert Fanini who told us that he previously based his company culture and values around the 4 primary ideas in this boo.

David Henzel (Co-Founder/MaxCDN)

The other one that had a really profound impact on me was "The Four Agreements", which is basically the agreements that you make with yourself. People often have conflicting agreements in their mind and if you read this book you'll stop the chatter in your mind. It makes it way easier to focus and execute. It also makes you much stronger emotionally

Pat Walls (Founder/StarterStory)

My favorite "self-help" book.

Darrah Brustein (Founder/Network under 40)

The Four Agreements is a practical, to-the-point, but ever-challenging read. It breaks down the four basic agreements one should make with him/herself to live your best life. Each is simple in essence, but absolutely a life-long endeavor to master. It's one of the few books I regularly re-read as each time, I take away a great reminder of an area in which I can grow.

Darrah Brustein (Founder/Network under 40)

My favorite book is The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz. It's a seemingly short and sweet read that overviews four agreements you should make with yourself to live your best life. But like most things, simple isn't actually that way. It's a deeply profound challenge to oneself to grow. I read it a couple times a year because each time, one agreement leaps out as the one ares on which I should put my focus. This is both my personal and business recommendation because they're not separable. Who you are is at the core of everything you do.

Recommended by Charlamagne Tha God (Radio Presenter/The Breakfast Club)

Source: Charlamagne Tha God on Twitter

Mark Manson (Author)

Maybe the most condensed piece of wisdom on the market. Can be read in a day, yet practiced for a lifetime.

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