The four agreements seems to jump between sound advice and insane thought process

I wonder what other people thought of this book? I read a summary to decide whether I should or not read it. I saw it recommended many times. Maybe they all took use of the good advice and left the unhinged stuff out of their memory.

I'm not even past the first chapter and the author says word for word:

Every human is a magician, and we can either put a spell on someone ,with our word or we can release someone from a spell. We cast spells all ,the time with our opinions. An example: I see a friend and give him an ,opinion that just popped into my mind. I say, “Hmmm! I see that kind of ,color in your face in people who are going to get cancer.” If he listens to ,the word, and if he agrees, he will have cancer in less than one year. That ,is the power of the word.

that doesn't seem… sane to me?! That's taking the placebo effect and treating it as gospel.

a little before that passage, he writes this sweet advice as part of chapter1 "be impeccable with your word":

The word is not just a sound 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. You can speak. What other animal on the planet can speak? The word is the most powerful tool you have as a human; it is the tool of magic. But like a sword with two edges, your word can create the most beautiful dream, or your word can destroy everything ;around you. One edge is the misuse of the word, which creates a living hell. The other edge is the impeccability of the word, which will only create beauty, love, and heaven on earth. Depending upon how it is used, the word can set you free, or it can enslave you even more than you know. All the magic you possess is based on your word. Your word is pure magic, and misuse of your word is black magic. The word is so powerful that one word can change a life or destroy the lives of millions of people. Some years ago one man in Germany, by the use of the word, manipulated a whole country of the most intelligent people. He led them into a world war with just the power of his word. He convinced others to commit the most atrocious acts of violence. He activated people’s fear with the word, and like a big explosion, there was killing and war all around the world. All over the world humans destroyed other humans because they were afraid of each other. Hitler’s word, based on fear-generated beliefs and agreements, will be remembered for centuries.

Mind you, before all that ^, the book has this quote:

Living is easy with eyes closed, misunderstanding all you see…. — John Lennon