The Four Agreements - First Agreement - By Don Miguel Ruiz

The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom is a self-help book by bestselling author Don Miguel Ruiz with Janet Mills. The book offers a code of conduct claiming to be based on ancient Toltec wisdom that advocates freedom from self-limiting beliefs that may cause suffering and limitation in a person's life.

First published in 1997, the book has sold over 9 million copies in the US , and has been translated into 46 languages worldwide. The book gained popularity after being endorsed by Oprah Winfrey on The Oprah Winfrey Show in 2001 and again on the television show in 2013. The book was also on the New York Times bestseller list for over a decade.

Agreement 1: Be Impeccable With Your Word

Ruiz states that while this agreement is the most important, it is the most difficult one to honor. For this agreement, Ruiz first analyzes the word "impeccable". The word impeccable comes from the Latin word peccatus meaning "sin", and the "im" in the beginning of impeccable is the Latin prefix that means "without". Ruiz describes a sin to be anything that goes against oneself, and therefore being impeccable with language means to take responsibility for one's actions and remain without judgment against oneself and others. In essence, this agreement focuses on the significance of speaking with integrity and carefully choosing words before saying them aloud.