The Four Agreements
The First Agreement: Be Impeccable with Your Word
"The word is not just a sounds or a written symbol. The word is a force; it is the power you have to express and communicate, to think, and thereby to create the events in your life."
The Second Agreement: Don't Take Anything Personally
"If someone is not treating you with love and respect, it is a gift they walk away from you. If that person doesn't walk away, you will surely endure many years of suffering with him or her. Walking away may hurt for a while, but your heart will eventually heal. Then you can choose what you really want. You will find that you don't need to trust others as much as you need to trust yourself to make the right choices."
The Third Agreement: Don't Make Assumptions
"We make an assumption, we misunderstand, we take it personally, and we end up creating a whole big drama for nothing...It is always better to ask questions than to make an assumption, because assumptions set us up for suffering."
The Fourth Agreement: Always Do Your Best
"In your everday moods your best can change from one moment to another, from one hour to the next, from one day to another. Your best will also change over time. As you build the habit of the four new agreements, your best will become better than it used to be."
"The word is not just a sounds or a written symbol. The word is a force; it is the power you have to express and communicate, to think, and thereby to create the events in your life."
The Second Agreement: Don't Take Anything Personally
"If someone is not treating you with love and respect, it is a gift they walk away from you. If that person doesn't walk away, you will surely endure many years of suffering with him or her. Walking away may hurt for a while, but your heart will eventually heal. Then you can choose what you really want. You will find that you don't need to trust others as much as you need to trust yourself to make the right choices."
The Third Agreement: Don't Make Assumptions
"We make an assumption, we misunderstand, we take it personally, and we end up creating a whole big drama for nothing...It is always better to ask questions than to make an assumption, because assumptions set us up for suffering."
The Fourth Agreement: Always Do Your Best
"In your everday moods your best can change from one moment to another, from one hour to the next, from one day to another. Your best will also change over time. As you build the habit of the four new agreements, your best will become better than it used to be."