Bridges need not be steel; they can be sentences. Mentorship transfers tacit knowledge that blueprints cannot capture—how to ask, to doubt, to persevere. Benjamin Franklin’s Library Company of Philadelphia (1731) exemplifies this impulse, pooling books so apprentices could educate themselves. Likewise, computer pioneer Grace Hopper spent decades demystifying computing for younger colleagues, turning jargon into gateways rather than gates. In each case, guidance builds a passable span over inexperience, allowing the next traveler to reach firmer ground faster. [...]
