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I am the thing most needed in all the world, but so fast nothing can catch me.
I myself can go the distance, even until the nearest star.
Articles have been written about me, though not one in English.
I give a soothing ending to an evening's rest.

But be warned, I stand in judgment of all things measurable,
and this day, I could be at your throat.

What am I?

Hint 1:

The title references a song whose sister knows me. Ask her, and she will show you the way.

Hint 2:

I am not light, but light and her maker are some 28.6% of my being

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    $\begingroup$ there was recently invented a laser razor.. $\endgroup$
    – Jasen
    Commented Mar 14, 2016 at 3:58
  • $\begingroup$ what's the answer to this buddy? kindly post an answer or accept an answer if it is the right one. $\endgroup$
    – Harshith Rai
    Commented Jan 21, 2019 at 11:37

7 Answers 7

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Is it

Light

I am the thing most needed in all the world, but so fast nothing can catch me.

Light, as we know it.

I myself can go the distance, even until the nearest star.

Light travels from stars billions of light years away too.

Articles have been written about me, though not one in English.

Not one, Many.

I give a soothing ending to an evening's rest.

Sunset is soothing to the eyes.

But be warned, I stand in judgment of all things measurable,

As cited by @manshu Speed of light is a universal constant(c) and is therefore used as reference in measurements, especially time.

and this day, I could be at your throat.

In the form of a jewel, reflecting or refracting light.

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    $\begingroup$ better explanation of second line from the last can be that the speed of light is constant and therefore it is used to measure other quantities... 'second' (which is the unit of time) is defined by using the speed of light $\endgroup$
    – manshu
    Commented Mar 14, 2016 at 10:24
  • $\begingroup$ @manshu good point. $\endgroup$
    – ABcDexter
    Commented Mar 14, 2016 at 10:31
  • $\begingroup$ @manshu Yes. True that! $\endgroup$
    – Prashant
    Commented Mar 14, 2016 at 10:33
  • $\begingroup$ Good answer and well defended! I hope you will find the true answer to be even more well suited. $\endgroup$
    – kbitikofer
    Commented Mar 14, 2016 at 16:26
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Probably I am the only one who thinks this way but:

It could be the letter "t".


I am the thing most needed in all the world, but so fast nothing can catch me.

"most" needs the letter "t" or it is incomplete. "nothing" caught "t". There it is, caught right in the middle.

I myself can go the distance, even until the nearest star.

It is in "distance" and in "star".

Articles have been written about me, though not one in English.

The word "Articles" surrounds "t" so it is about it in that sense. There is no "t" in English.

I give a soothing ending to an evening's rest.

The last letter, or ending, of "rest" is "t".

But be warned, I stand in judgment of all things measurable,

This could refer to the expression "to a t" meaning that it exactly correct, thus it is the standard for exactness in measures of all sorts. And of course "t" stands at the end of the word "judgment".

and this day, I could be at your throat.

Indeed it is at both ends of the word "throat".

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    $\begingroup$ Another reasoning for the second last line: T can also be used to show if a sentence is True or false. $\endgroup$
    – manshu
    Commented Mar 14, 2016 at 14:25
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The title refers to

The Sound of Music ("The hills are alive / with [title]")

I am the thing most needed in all the world, but so fast nothing can catch me.

Music is not really something that can be "caught" in the physical sense

I myself can go the distance, even until the nearest star.

We broadcast radio waves that carry music off into space

Articles have been written about me, though not one in English.

Like the "Light" answer, not one, but many articles have been written about music

I give a soothing ending to an evening's rest.

It can be very nice to listen to soothing music at night.

But be warned, I stand in judgment of all things measurable,

Music has been written on all manner of topics. Music has been written to criticize, eulogize, and praise.

and this day, I could be at your throat.

Your throat could produce music, through singing.

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  • $\begingroup$ This is not quite it yet, but keep working! $\endgroup$
    – kbitikofer
    Commented Mar 14, 2016 at 16:36
  • $\begingroup$ @kbitikofer I honestly thought it was Prashant's answer; I only came to this after it was made clear that it wasn't. $\endgroup$
    – question_asker
    Commented Mar 14, 2016 at 16:50
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    $\begingroup$ You beat me to it, [your answer] lover. For clue 3, one tantalizing aspect of [your answer] is that it has more than one written language, one with holes even, used for it alone. $\endgroup$
    – humn
    Commented Mar 14, 2016 at 20:02
  • $\begingroup$ I should say, you are right about the title, but need to make more connections from it regarding the hint. $\endgroup$
    – kbitikofer
    Commented Mar 15, 2016 at 18:25
  • $\begingroup$ @kbitikofer I figured I had the right idea there, I just have no idea which sister this could possibly be (the parents were prolific, to say the least) $\endgroup$
    – question_asker
    Commented Mar 15, 2016 at 18:27
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I have a guess stuck in my head and can't seem to get it out, so I'll run with it.

You are:

Love.

I am the thing most needed in all the world, but so fast nothing can catch me.

All you need is Love, and it's not something you can catch; it finds you and is sometimes fleeting.

I myself can go the distance, even until the nearest star.

What could stop love from reaching across the universe?

Articles have been written about me, though not one in English.

Hmm... Love is a language of its own. (P.S. I Love You?)

I give a soothing ending to an evening's rest.

After a hard day's night, it's best to come to bed with the one you love.

But be warned, I stand in judgment of all things measurable,

Uh...without an applicable Beatles song in mind, I'll just opt for ABBA's The Winner Takes it All, which sadly happens in the game of love.

and this day, I could be at your throat.

Yesterday, love may have been an easy game to play. That may not be the case "this day".

Hint:

The title references a song whose sister knows me. Ask her, and she will show you the way.-- The Fool on the Hill is on side one of the Beatles' Magical Mystery Tour, and on side two (the sister side?) is All You Need is Love.

Now you can see why my answer is stuck in my head, not that I'm complaining.

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  • $\begingroup$ I wish I wasn't out of votes, this is a cool interpretation $\endgroup$
    – question_asker
    Commented Mar 14, 2016 at 19:00
  • $\begingroup$ @question_asker you haven't upvoted yet... :p $\endgroup$
    – manshu
    Commented Mar 14, 2016 at 19:09
  • $\begingroup$ @manshu manshu... I am out of votes... I can't upvote with no votes... $\endgroup$
    – question_asker
    Commented Mar 14, 2016 at 19:22
  • $\begingroup$ @question_asker Even without the +1, I appreciate the vote of confidence. The earworm just became a brainworm and I enjoyed looking for connections and justifications through it all. $\endgroup$
    – raisinghellyer
    Commented Mar 14, 2016 at 19:54
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I guess it is

Thought/Mind/Brain

I am the thing most needed in all the world, but so fast nothing can catch me.

Brain is the most needed thing. One second you are thinking about batman and the next second about Emma Watson. Such is the speed of brain.

I myself can go the distance, even until the nearest star.

Many theories in cosmology are based on the thought processes. That means we are not certain about many things but we only have some ideas.

Articles have been written about me, though not one in English.

One reasoning to this sentence can be that articles on brain must be in the subject of Psychology (not in English). Other reasoning is (like other answers) that there are many articles, not only one.

I give a soothing ending to an evening's rest.

Yeah. It is self explanatory.

But be warned, I stand in judgment of all things measurable,

Yup. We as human thinks.

and this day, I could be at your throat.

Throat rhymes with thought.

Hint:

Nicki Minaj had song Mind On My Money and she also featured in The Weeknd's song The Hills

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Since my previous answer has been marked wrong by OP, here is another shot at it.
My answer is

Faith or Prayer or Religion

I am the thing most needed in all the world, but so fast nothing can catch me.

Faith is needed in this world of chaos, and it isn't material so can't be caught.

I myself can go the distance, even until the nearest star.

No Clue!

Articles have been written about me, though not one in English.

Perhaps the OP is referring to a religion, most probably Christianity. Bible was written in Hebrew, not English.

I give a soothing ending to an evening's rest.

Prayers and chants have mesmerizing effects.

But be warned, I stand in judgment of all things measurable,

Perhaps a reference to the Judgement Day.

and this day, I could be at your throat.

In faith or fear, You may be praying.

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Apologies for not gauging the difficulty well when I asked the question. question_asker was very, very close with their answer.

The answer is

The solfege scale (do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, ti), which describes a major scale in music.

I am the thing most needed in all the world,

or "kneaded", rather: Do pronounced like "dough"

but so fast nothing can catch me.

Re, pronounced "Ray", as in ray of light, faster than everything else

I myself can go the distance

Mi, pronounced like "Me", a name for myself. And Fa, pronounced like "Far" with a british R, referring to distance.

even until the nearest star.

The nearest star to Earth is its sun, named Sol

Articles have been written about me, though not one in English.

The part-of-speech definite article La used in several non-english languages, such as Spanish.

I give a soothing ending to an evening's rest.

Ti, pronounced like tea, which is sometimes an evening drink, though it's a bit of a stretch

But be warned, I stand in judgment of all things measurable,

Reference to scales in general? Musical scales in a more general sense dictate a lot of rules of our music.

and this day, I could be at your throat.

Singing sounds are produced in the larynx, which is either in or near the throat.

Hint 1:

The main character in the Sound of Music teaches the children to sing using solfege in the song that starts "Do, a deer, a female deer" and this may be the most well-known instance of a song featuring/teaching solfege.

Hint 2:

28.6% = 2/7. Light and light's maker are Re ("Ray") and Sol respectively, which make up 2 of the 7 syllables.

Title:

Another song in the Sound of Music is "The hills are alive with the sound of music". So music is that which gives life to the hills, and is a stepping stone to the more specific answer.

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