THE PLUMB, THE SQUARE, AND THE LEVEL:

A Free-Flowing Masonic Speech on Self-Examination

With Footnotes

Worshipful Master, Wardens, and Brethren:

Tonight, I invite you to reflect on three of the most significant tools in all of Freemasonry—three tools placed before us in every lodge, given to us in every degree, and carried with us throughout our entire Masonic journey: the Plumb, the Square, and the Level. These tools were not meant to be admired and forgotten. They were given to us because they are instruments—living, working, practical instruments—intended for daily use in the great labor of building our own character.

The Square, perhaps the most familiar of all our symbols, sits upon the Master’s collar as the emblem of his authority, rests upon the altar beside the Great Light, and appears upon our aprons as a constant reminder that our labor must be governed by virtue. Our ritual tells us that the Square teaches morality, but its deeper meaning emerges when we use it to examine our own behavior. William Preston reminds us that the Square instructs us to harmonize our conduct with the principles of morality and virtue.¹ Thomas Smith Webb tells us it represents honesty, fairness, and just dealing.² Albert Mackey calls it the symbol of moral rectitude,³ and Allen E. Roberts says plainly that the Square governs our actions toward the world of men.⁴

But the Square becomes truly powerful when we place it against ourselves. It quietly asks us whether our actions are in line with our promises, whether we behave in public and private in a way we would willingly have measured, whether our judgments are fair, our words are honest, and our decisions are guided by integrity rather than convenience. Like the operative mason who constantly checked his stones to ensure they met true, we must constantly check our conduct to ensure it aligns with our obligations. The Square does not expect perfection; it expects honesty—honesty with ourselves about where correction is needed.

If the Square measures the rightness of our outward actions, the Plumb measures the uprightness of our inner life. It is the tool that asks questions no one else can ask for us. Webb described the Plumb as teaching us to walk uprightly before God and man.⁵ Mackey called it an emblem of integrity,⁶ and Pike suggested that uprightness is not merely external behavior but the internal inclination of the heart toward virtue.⁷ The Plumb examines what is hidden—not what others can see, but what only we know about ourselves.

The Plumb asks whether we are the same man in private that we appear to be in public, whether our motives are as clean as our words, whether our conscience remains strong when no one is watching, and whether we stand straight under pressure or bend to convenience. A man can appear square in his outward dealings and yet be leaning inwardly away from virtue. The Plumb exposes that inward tilt. It reminds us that building character is not only about doing the right thing but becoming the right kind of man—one whose heart is in alignment with his actions. Integrity is not something we possess once; it is something we must maintain daily, because the storms and pressures of life continually try to bend us.

And then we come to the Level—the tool of equality, humility, and Brotherly Love. In our lodge, the Level reminds us that no matter our rank, wealth, title, or station in life, we meet upon the Level. Robert Macoy tells us it symbolizes the equality of all men in the sight of God.⁸ Allen E. Roberts emphasizes that it teaches humility and reminds us that pride has no place in the lodge or in the heart of a Mason.⁹

But the Level’s greatest challenge comes when we use it to examine how we treat others. It quietly asks whether we truly respect each Brother as our equal, whether we listen with the same attention we expect to receive, whether we give kindness without regard to status or background, and whether we ever look down on anyone. The Level confronts our pride, our impatience, and our unspoken judgments. It reminds us that no man is so high he cannot fall and no man is so low he cannot rise. It tells us that the dignity of a human being is not measured by position but by the spark of the divine that resides within him. The man who keeps the Level close at heart practices humility in all things—and humility is the foundation upon which all true virtue rests.

When we bring these three tools together—the Square, the Plumb, and the Level—we find a complete system for examining our character. The Square measures our behavior toward others. The Plumb measures our integrity within ourselves. The Level measures our relationships and reminds us of our shared humanity. One tool tests how we act. One tests who we are. One tests how we treat the world around us. Together they ask a profound and unavoidable question: “Am I living as the Mason I obligated myself to be?”

Every one of us has stood before the altar and sworn to live by the principles of Brotherly Love, Relief, and Truth. These tools allow us to test whether those principles are present not just in our ceremonies, but in the way we speak to our families, the way we conduct ourselves at work, the way we behave when we are frustrated, and the way we treat those who cannot repay us. The Plumb, Square, and Level are not ornamental—they are practical. They are the tools of the speculative mason’s craft, meant to guide us as we shape the rough ashlar of our character into the perfect ashlar suitable for that spiritual building not made with hands.

Brethren, these tools remind us that the inner temple we are building is never finished. Every day brings new opportunities to measure, to correct, and to improve. Let us therefore square our actions, plumb our hearts, and level our relationships. Let us approach every task, every conversation, and every decision with these tools close at hand. And let us remember that the greatest structures are built not in a day but through steady, persistent, and honest labor.

If we live by these tools, our conduct will be honorable, our hearts will be upright, our relationships will be fair, and our internal temple will rise strong and beautiful. May we each take up the Plumb, the Square, and the Level—not as symbols from a past initiation, but as daily companions in the lifelong work of becoming better men.

Worshipful Master, this concludes my remarks.

FOOTNOTES

William Preston, Illustrations of Masonry.

Thomas Smith Webb, Freemason’s Monitor (1797).

Albert G. Mackey, Symbolism of Freemasonry; Encyclopedia of Freemasonry.

Allen E. Roberts, The Craft and Its Symbols.

Webb, Freemason’s Monitor.

Mackey, Symbolism of Freemasonry.

Albert Pike, Morals and Dogma.

Robert Macoy, Masonic Monitor and commentary from Macoy Publishing.

Roberts, The Craft and Its Symbols.