Principle Twelve

It Wasn’t You

When all else has failed, explore the possibility that your object hasn’t been misplaced. Rather, it’s been misappropriated.

Perhaps someone you know has borrowed your umbrella. Or eaten your doughnut. Or taken your magazine into another room.

Approach that person and inquire if such might not be the case. (“Have you by any chance seen my…?” is a tactful way to phrase this.)

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If so, your search has succeeded at last. Skip ahead to “A Final Word.”

But if you’ve tried all twelve Principles and still no object—onward! To a very special Principle.

I call it the THIRTEENTH PRINCIPLE. And I have kept it apart from the others to underscore its use in a certain dire situation only.

The situation is this: You’ve applied each of my Twelve Principles, and still haven’t found your object.

That should rarely happen. But when it does, there does remain—for emergency use only—the THIRTEENTH PRINCIPLE.

To it then.