The Square and Compasses (or, more precisely, a square and a set of compasses connected together) is Freemasonry’s most recognizable symbol. The square and compasses are both architect’s tools that are employed as symbols in Masonic ritual to teach symbolic principles. Masons should “square their deeds by the square of virtue” and learn to “circumscribe their impulses and maintain their passions within suitable boundaries for all mankind,” according to some Lodges and ceremonies.