The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom / Don Miguel Ruiz

RATINGS

Overall: 5 / 5 stars

Text Level: Medium

Entertainment: Medium

Self-Help: High

Genres: Nonfiction, Self Help, Philosophy, Spirituality, Religion, Psychology, Inspirational, Religion

Page Count: 160

Buy on: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Target

Is this book right for me and/or my inmate?

Those finding themselves trapped in toxic relationships where time spent talking with each other is filled with anger and arguments, can find a way to break that cycle in the book.

Review By: Blackbird (Inmate)

Four simple concepts to find peace if you have the will to work.

How often do we stop and think before we throw words towards the wones we love? We treat the things we say in our interactions today as almost meaningless, especially when we find ourselves in stressful situations. The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz asks us to reflect before we speak, and realize that every word we share matters.

Written on four simple principles of change, this book provides wisdom on building a life of better peace when interacting with those we know. Whether it is to “Be Impeccable with your Words” or “Don’t Take Anything Personally,” “Don’t Make Assumptions” or “Always do your Best,” these easy-to-understand principles allow for greater wisdom while freeing the reader from common conflicts.

As an inmate, I am frequently saddened to hear other inmates on the phone next to me arguing with their families and friends daily. The words shared through the phone are filled with anger, fear, and anxiety with little thought of the impact they have. Due to stress and hurt, inmates and their significant others lash out saying things that scar deeply, never stopping to think of what one wrong painful statement might bring. In this book, we learn that every word we give out to this world matters, so they should all be valuable to us before we say them.

In this process of being mindful of what we way, we must also learn not to take anything personally. We must recognize that when others use words of hurt towards us it is coming from a place inside themselves that has little to do with us. Ruiz’s book asks for us as readers to let go of the hurtful things we hear, while at the same time not speaking hurtful things out to the world around us. This seems like a simple concept but as you read this book, you realize a large amount of effort this requires. For anyone that is in a spiral of hurtful negative arguments with the ones you love, please give this book a try.

Book Quotes:

“Life can be very easy when love is your way of life.”

“Happiness is a choice, and so is suffering.”