The Four Agreements Themes

In The Four Agreements, Miguel Ruiz argues that the way in which humans are “domesticated”—conditioned to live in society—is fundamentally damaging to the psyche. Children are indoctrinated to behave according to social rules by being punished for bad behavior and rewarded for good behavior. Due to this indoctrination, most people grow up with an ingrained habit of judging their own behavior and punishing themselves for failing to live up to the social rules they…

In The Four Agreements, Miguel Ruiz argues that the wisdom of the Toltec, an early Mexican society, can show people how to change their lives from a “living hell” (centered on judgment, abuse, and fear) to a “heaven on Earth” (centered on love and self-acceptance). Ruiz argues that humans’ beliefs are really more like “agreements” because we implicitly agree to uphold them by basing our thoughts and behavior around them. Thinking of…

In The Four Agreements, Miguel Ruiz invokes ancient wisdom from the Toltec (an early Mexican civilization) about how to live a happy life. In particular, he examines the Toltec belief that freedom is being like a child: having fun, enjoying life, and doing what makes one happy. Ruiz argues that children are free—or “wild”—because they act how they want, express themselves openly, and follow their whims without fear. However, children are quickly “domesticated” by…