I said to the man who stood at the gate of years, “Give me light, that I may tread safely into the unknown.” And the man replied, “Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the hand of God. That shall be to you better than light and safer than the known way.”

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Gender-neutral version:

I said to the sage who stood at the gate of years, “Give me light, that I may tread safely into the unknown.” And the sage replied, “Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the hand of God. That shall be to you better than light and safer than the known way.”