50 Freemason Quotes About The Secretive Brotherhood

By Clifton Sankofa | Published October 9, 2023

If you are interested in secret societies or fraternal orders, take a moment and check out our Freemason quotes.

Freemasons are a mysterious group who often get misunderstood.

Today, we do a deep dive into all things Freemason and question if the order is as accessible as it presents itself.

Learn more with our Freemason quotes.

What is Freemasonry?

Freemasons are one of the world’s largest worldwide secret societies.

They are an oath-bound group who follow the teachings and practices of the fraternal order of Free and Accepted Masons.

Publicly, they are devoted to:

Fellowship
Moral discipline
Mutual assistance

Why do people accuse Freemasons of ruling the world?

The nature of most secret groups is to be misunderstood by society.

In this respect, the Freemasons are no different.

Some of the most influential figures in the world are Freemasons.

Rumors of their involvement in politics, economies, or even wars have existed for generations.

History suggests that there is reason for the public’s concern regarding the impact of Freemasonry.

The Catholic Church and other religious institutions have publicly opposed Freemasons.

One of the first political third parties in the United States was called the Anti-Masonic Party.

Their platform was based on the idea that the secretive influence of Freemasons had gone too far in the U.S. government.

We have a long history of American citizens questioning Freemasons’s public and private activities.

Can women be Freemasons?

Many Freemasons subscribe to the group’s 1723 Constitutions, a guidebook written by James Anderson.

In this text, women and atheists are excluded from becoming members.

Today, the group touts that their members come from all walks of life.

Women are able to join an affiliated organization called The Order of the Eastern Star.

Is Freemasonry segregated?

Well, yes and no.

Officially, the group says anyone may join.

However, some lodges in the Southern United States do not accept or recognize Prince Hall Freemasonry, a line of African-American Freemasonry.

To learn more, check out our Freemasonry quotes below.

Short Freemason quotes about the mysterious brotherhood

We begin with these short quotes about Freemasonry.

1. “There are no strangers in Freemasonry, only friends you’ve yet to meet.” — Dave Thomas

2. “I have been in Freemasonry since 2007 and have enjoyed every minute of it.” — Richard Hartley

3. “When I say ‘Masonic career,’ I don’t mean that it is like a job or a treadmill type path.” — Richard Hartley

4. “The true Mason is not creed-bound.” — Manly P. Hall

5. “Masonic labor is purely a labor of love.” — Benjamin Franklin

6. “What should be the thrust of modern Masonry?” — Louis L. Williams

7. “I would say there are three steps in Masonry.” — William K. Bailey

8. “My decision to join Freemasonry is one for the long term.” — Richard Hartley

9. “The strength of Freemasonry is in its loyalty to each other.” — Vasilios Karpos

10. “It has not been my fortune to know very much of Freemasonry.” — Calvin Coolidge

The top freemason quotes about secret knowledge and great ideals

Here, we have a selection of quotes from well-known Masons about their craft.

11. “We Masons are among the fortunate ones who are taught to meet together with others opposing convictions or competitive ideas and yet respect each other as Brothers.” — Albert Pike

12. “I sincerely hope that my love of and involvement with Freemasonry will be lifelong.” — Richard Hartley

13. “He who seeks to draw Masonic wages in gold and silver will be disappointed.” — Benjamin Franklin

14. “All true Masons know that they only are heathen who, having great ideals, do not live up to them.” — Manly P. Hall

15. “The wages of a Mason are in the dealings with one another; sympathy begets sympathy, kindness begets kindness, helpfulness begets helpfulness, and these are the wages of a Mason.” — Benjamin Franklin

16. “He realizes with the divine illumination of his lodge that as Mason his religion must be universal: Christ, Buddha or Mohammed, the name means little, for he recognizes only the light and not the bearer.” — Manly P. Hall

17. “I don’t wish to digress, and what I have done is compile a list of some of my favorite quotes about Freemasonry.” — Richard Hartley

18. “One or two quotes may resonate with some and also give an insight to those people thinking about joining Freemasonry in the future.” — Richard Hartley

19. “But what is Masonry’s greatest mission in life today?” — Louis L. Williams

20. “Masonic ideas are the precious jewels of Speculative Masons.” — Conrad Hahn

Freemason quotes and sayings about lodges and fraternities

Check out these interesting quotes about how Masons conduct themselves in and outside of their lodges.

21. “They know that all religions are, but one story told in divers ways for peoples whose ideals differ but whose great purpose is in harmony with Masonic ideals.” — Manly P. Hall

22. “The conduct of every member of the fraternity may tend to convince mankind that the grand object of Masonry is to promote the happiness of the human race.” — George Washington

23. “So far as I am acquainted with the principles and doctrines of Freemasonry, I conceive it to be founded in benevolence and to be exercised only for the good of mankind.” — George Washington

24. “Masonry aims at the promotion of morality and higher living by the cultivation of the social side of man, the rousing in him of the instincts of charity and love of his kind.” — William Howard Taft

25. “The Society or Fraternity of Freemasons is more in the nature of a system of Philosophy.” — H. W. Coil

26. “Freemasonry has promoted fellowship, it has nurtured brotherhood, it has practiced charity.” — Louis L. Williams

27. “Many writers and thinkers have tried to define Freemasonry, but it really defeats definition.” — Louis L. Williams

28. “The great wisdom of aging is to be as forthcoming as a Freemason when people ask how old you are.” ― Stewart Stafford

29. “To enlarge the sphere of social happiness is worthy of the benevolent design of a Masonic institution.” — George Washington

30. “I have had the great fortune to know many Freemasons and have been able in that way to judge the tree by its fruit. — Calvin Coolidge

The best freemason quotes for aspiring members

Are you thinking of joining the Masons?

Check out these quotes to help you make your decision.

31. “Being persuaded that a just application of the principles, on which the Masonic Fraternity is founded, must be promotive of private virtue and public prosperity.” — George Washington

32. “The underlying principle of Masonry is the fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man.” — William Howard Taft

33. “Nowhere does one become more convinced of the stronghold which Freemasonry takes upon the minds and lives of those aging workers in the Craft who have attained its highest honors.” — H. W. Coil

34. “I ask of each Mason, of each member, of each brother, that he shall remember ever that there is upon him a peculiar obligation to show himself in every respect a good citizen.” — Theodore Roosevelt

35. “Our Masonic forefathers had an understanding of human needs and human aspirations.” — Louis L. Williams

36. “It is not only with the brain and with the mind that the initiate must take Freemasonry but also with the heart.” — C. H. Claudy

37. “They should be the special care of Masonic leaders, particularly those who teach and interpret the philosophy of Freemasonry.” — Conrad Hahn

38. “One thing and only one thing a Masonic Lodge can give its members which they can get nowhere else in the world. That one thing is Masonry.” — Carl H. Claudy

39. “Freemasonry is ‘veiled in allegory and illustrated by symbols’ because these are the surest way by which moral and ethical truths may be taught.” — C. H. Claudy

40. “Masonry was not made to divide men, but to unite them, leaving each man free to think his own thoughts and fashion his own system of ultimate truth.” — J. F. Newton

Famous mason quotes about rewards and freedom

Here are some intriguing quotes about the freemasons.

41. “Masonry is too great an institution to have been made in a day, much less by a few men, but was a slow evolution through long time, unfolding its beauty as it grew.” — J. F. Newton

42. “That is the reason why we, as Masons, give our lives affirming our beliefs in moral conduct, brotherhood, and compassion. We do it for the honor of the human spirit.” — Stanley F. Maxwell

43. “That one thing we have to teach, that one thing we Masons have as the key to our secret, the end-all and the be-all of Freemasonry is, you are my brother, and I am yours.” — Conrad Hahn

44. “Freemasonry must stand upon the Rock of Truth, religion, political, social, and economic.” — H. W. Coil

45. “The first step is the ritual; the second step would be the fellowship to be taken and enjoyed; and the third step would be Masonic information for enlightenment or education.” — William K. Bailey

Additional freemason quotes

We close our list with these interesting quotes about Masonry.

46. “Nothing is so worthy of its care as freedom in all its aspects. ‘Free’ is the most vital part of Freemasonry.” — H. W. Coil

47. “As we continue to improve ourselves in Masonry, we are indeed improving life. We know from history that without ideals to guide us, the garden of a man’s life will not grow into a place of beauty.” — Stanley F. Maxwell

48. “With our only certain reward being a good conscience, with history the final judge of our deeds, let us go forth together leading those whom have not yet become Free Masons but are truly Masons at heart.” — WRF

49. “We can only know the fullest joys of Masonry when we truly walk the paths of service and of hard work in the quarries.” — George E. Burow

50. “The importance of improvement, setting an example, and shouldering responsibility for the future are our Masonic goals.” — Stanley F. Maxwell