What are the core principles of Freemasonry?

Early in his initiation into the Craft, a candidate is taught that the primary principles of Freemasonry are Brotherly Love, Relief, and Truth 3.

Brotherly Love is defined not as a vague abstraction, but as a concrete duty expressed through specific conduct and symbolically tied to the Five Points of Fellowship 3. It requires active goodwill, demanding that a Mason give of himself rather than merely expect benefits from the fraternity 2.

Relief is the practice of charity. While Masons are taught to extend benevolence to all mankind, their duty applies "more especially a brother Mason," reflecting the shared obligation found within families, congregations, and nations toward those bound in the same union 2.

Truth is presented as the final design of Craft Masonry 2. It encompasses both immutable principles—the Fatherhood of God and the immortality of the soul—and symbolic instruction, which each Mason contemplates according to his own perception and intellect 2.

Alongside these three tenets, Craft Masonry holds that a lodge and the institution itself are supported by three grand pillars: Wisdom, Strength, and Beauty 13. As set out in various Grand Lodge lectures, Wisdom contrives and directs, Strength supports through enduring conviction and moral principles, and Beauty adorns the spiritual building through social virtues and philanthropy 13. In the Entered Apprentice degree of the Craft, these concepts are further supplemented by the four cardinal virtues—temperance, fortitude, prudence, and justice—along with obligations of secrecy, belief in God, civic loyalty, and the Golden Rule 2.