Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Four Agreements, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Judgment and Fear
Beliefs, Agreements, and Transformative Happiness
Human Perception, Reality, and Universal Love
Childhood, Adulthood, and Freedom
Summary
Analysis
The Toltec were a society of scholars who were centered around Teotihuacan (near Mexico City) thousands of years ago. The naguals (“masters”) of Toltec wisdom held ancient knowledge about a way of life focused on happiness and love, which they were forced to conceal and protect from conquest and misuse of power. This way of life managed to be preserved and passed down through subsequent generations of naguals, and the same knowledge is being shared here by a modern-day nagual named Don Miguel Ruiz.
Ruiz explains that the Toltec way of life is centered on cultivating happiness and love. The fact that The Four Agreements is based on indigenous knowledge that has been passed down over thousands of years gives the book a sense of wisdom and credibility. Ruiz aims to provide instructions for how a person can transform their existence into a happier one.
Themes
