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Love What Lasts: How to Save Your Soul From Mediocrity
In Love What Lasts, Joshua Gibbs offers readers a wide-angle view of contemporary culture, explains how we got here, and invites readers to reconsider the role which old books, old music, and old films might play in their lives and lives of their families. In a society which is helplessly addicted to the next big thing, loving things which last is real deliverance.
272 pages, Hardcover
Published January 1, 2023
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680 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
August 21, 2023
This book was earnest, but lacked focus.
I also wonder if its thesis would be more compelling if framed with more delight in the beautiful than indignation in the fleeting. I suspect an unsympathetic reader would chafe under the tone.
I certainly understand the temptation to pessimism, but conservative voices too often fail to show a broken world just what is so good about the good life.
I also wonder if its thesis would be more compelling if framed with more delight in the beautiful than indignation in the fleeting. I suspect an unsympathetic reader would chafe under the tone.
I certainly understand the temptation to pessimism, but conservative voices too often fail to show a broken world just what is so good about the good life.
November 20, 2023
Exceptional! I first heard about this book right before it was released. The author interviewed on a podcast by Circe. I also enjoy some materials from the Circe Institute from time to time, so after listening to the podcast I preordered the book. I agreed with the author’s position on the importance of truth and beauty and things that last. It took me some time to get through it largely because it’s meaty and I had lots of notes and quotes to save. Also, I had several trips in between start to finish. For the chapter On Nature alone I recommend this book, but all the others are excellent as well. He put into words all the things that have been bothering me from modern art vs. fine art, to special and mediocrity to holy things. I will be meditating a long while on what he shared here. Here is a small list of my favorite and helpful quotes.
"O Lord, how lovely it is to be Thy guest: breeze full of scents mountains reaching to the skies; waters like boundless mirrors, reflecting the sun's golden rays and the scudding clouds."
—From the Akathist of Thanksgiving
“The past does not move. It sits patiently still for us so we can examine it, and in doing so we come to know how and why things usually happen. The study of the past is the study of human limitation, but when man is oriented toward the future, he no longer has a fixed world to study and so he can no longer say what will usually happen.”
“"Special" always entails an exception from what is usual, an exception from nature. Why would anyone want an exception from nature, though?
A thing's nature is an invisible, interior blueprint which subtly instructs and inclines it toward happiness, unity, long life, and fourishing. In some sense, a man is his nature. However, because every man possesses a soul, this means that he has both a natural and a supernatural aspect.”
Like all blueprints, though, nature imposes limitations on human life, and men have a curious and unexplainable history of fighting these limitations, to their own embarrassment and pain.
The Roman poet Horace once said, "You may drive out nature with a pitchfork, but she keeps coming back," a proverb which rings true for every man who regularly falls prey to a particular temptation, chastises himself for not recalling the shame which attended his last failure, makes many oaths to not fall prey to temptation again, and then inexplicably does so just a few hours later.
While reasonable people have known for many thousands of years that nature cannot be bested, modern men are unusually squeamish when it comes to discussing what usually happens to people who eat too much, or what usually becomes of children who are given too much praise, or what usually happens to boys whose fathers travel too much. We hope that the standards do not apply to us, that our exceptions will hold out, and that no one will notice the small ways in which we are breaking the rules.
The great hope of modern man is to cheat nature.”
“Since the Enlightenment, "special" has slowly taken the place of "holy." It has become not only a higher form of being but the only acceptable form of being. "Special" has come to dominate what Western people want from life—and not just progressives, but Christians, as well. As a high school teacher, I regularly speak with parents who tell me that their children are special. Christian lifestyle charlatans have grown wealthy selling books about how to have a special marriage. Pinterest and Instagram thrive because we want to throw our children special birthday parties and persuade our friends that we eat special food and vacation in special places. Why did pornography become the preeminent and most prolific modern art form? Because men believed sex ought to be a special experience.”
“As a category of being, "special" is really the opposite of “holy.”
Because holiness shares in the boundless nature of God, there is always more holiness to go around. Holy things beget holp things: holy water consecrates what it touches, holy places confer their holiness on the activities that transpire therein, holy men confer their holiness on others. But special things cannor confer their specialness on other things. Holiness is an open sys-tem, which means that a holy thing can make a common thing holy without losing its own holiness. Specialness is a closed and vampiric system, for one thing cannot become special without devouring or absorbing the specialness of another.”
“The holiness of holy things is borrowed from other holy things which, in turn, borrow their holiness from older, higher, or holier things.
By contrast, the specialness of special things is self-derived. which is why special things are perpetually involved in a turf battle with one another.”
“Because new special things empty old special things of ther specialness, there is no tradition of special and special thing end up being short-lived by their very nature. Tradition implies obedience and predictability, but the very specialness of special things is derived from their refusal to obey. Consequendy a thíng that is special cannot be refined, tinkered with, tempered, or adjusted the way a traditional form can. Take the splater paintings of Jackson Pollock, for example. Pollock is famous for being the first person to paint in such a manner; however, he did not inaugurate a new form of painting, for anyone attempting to create drip paintings after Pollock will be accused of thievery, dullness of wit, and a lack of originality, Rather, Pollock daimed a style and content of painting entirely for himself, in much the same way that middle school boys greedily claim slices of pizza by licking them so others will be ashamed to eat them.”
“Anyone looking to follow in the footsteps of Pollock, Rothko, or Mondrian is out of luck. Pollock was not interested in painting nature. He was not interested in the world or in reality itself.
Rather, he painted himself, as all modern artists must do. In the world of contemporary art, imitation is a failure of self-expres-sion. Imitation is treason, for every act of imitation looks to the past. Imitation also implies hierarchy, for a man must choose whom to imitate. If he aims to imitate no one, however, he may claim success in all that he undertakes, for he has no standard outside himself by which his work can be judged.”
“Because specialness is self-derived and not borrowed from a transcendent power, it tends to crumble under the pressure of time. Specialness is a terrible burden which very few things are strong enough to shoulder for very long.”
“In the same way that Teddy Ruxpin was marketed as a better version of the plain teddy bear, special things are presented as an antidote to the ordinary, as sacraments of specialness which alleviate the boredom and meaninglessness induced by everything common. They cannot be presented as holy in an outright way, for holiness pertains to the soul and conjures thoughts of quietude, eternity, stillness, judgment, morality, piety, and con-templation, which are not thoughts which entice spending mon-ey. But if a mediocre thing is marketed as "special" it can be set apart from common things without invoking any sort of spiritual blessing or ceremony. "Special" is nothing more than fake holiness.”
“Shallow people find such movies aggravating because they assume there is nothing beyond mane appearances, but this is because they have remade the world in their own image.”
“Mediocre things corrupt the soul in a way that cannot be fixed through quantity alone. Mediocre things corrupt our desire for good things. The man who accepts mediocrity's offers of pleasure as authentic will simply become more and more frustrated with good things the longer he is subjected to them. A man who willingly blinds himself will not begin to see beautiful paintings simply because he stares at them for long enough. He must be wise enough to not blind himself in the first place.”
"O Lord, how lovely it is to be Thy guest: breeze full of scents mountains reaching to the skies; waters like boundless mirrors, reflecting the sun's golden rays and the scudding clouds."
—From the Akathist of Thanksgiving
“The past does not move. It sits patiently still for us so we can examine it, and in doing so we come to know how and why things usually happen. The study of the past is the study of human limitation, but when man is oriented toward the future, he no longer has a fixed world to study and so he can no longer say what will usually happen.”
“"Special" always entails an exception from what is usual, an exception from nature. Why would anyone want an exception from nature, though?
A thing's nature is an invisible, interior blueprint which subtly instructs and inclines it toward happiness, unity, long life, and fourishing. In some sense, a man is his nature. However, because every man possesses a soul, this means that he has both a natural and a supernatural aspect.”
Like all blueprints, though, nature imposes limitations on human life, and men have a curious and unexplainable history of fighting these limitations, to their own embarrassment and pain.
The Roman poet Horace once said, "You may drive out nature with a pitchfork, but she keeps coming back," a proverb which rings true for every man who regularly falls prey to a particular temptation, chastises himself for not recalling the shame which attended his last failure, makes many oaths to not fall prey to temptation again, and then inexplicably does so just a few hours later.
While reasonable people have known for many thousands of years that nature cannot be bested, modern men are unusually squeamish when it comes to discussing what usually happens to people who eat too much, or what usually becomes of children who are given too much praise, or what usually happens to boys whose fathers travel too much. We hope that the standards do not apply to us, that our exceptions will hold out, and that no one will notice the small ways in which we are breaking the rules.
The great hope of modern man is to cheat nature.”
“Since the Enlightenment, "special" has slowly taken the place of "holy." It has become not only a higher form of being but the only acceptable form of being. "Special" has come to dominate what Western people want from life—and not just progressives, but Christians, as well. As a high school teacher, I regularly speak with parents who tell me that their children are special. Christian lifestyle charlatans have grown wealthy selling books about how to have a special marriage. Pinterest and Instagram thrive because we want to throw our children special birthday parties and persuade our friends that we eat special food and vacation in special places. Why did pornography become the preeminent and most prolific modern art form? Because men believed sex ought to be a special experience.”
“As a category of being, "special" is really the opposite of “holy.”
Because holiness shares in the boundless nature of God, there is always more holiness to go around. Holy things beget holp things: holy water consecrates what it touches, holy places confer their holiness on the activities that transpire therein, holy men confer their holiness on others. But special things cannor confer their specialness on other things. Holiness is an open sys-tem, which means that a holy thing can make a common thing holy without losing its own holiness. Specialness is a closed and vampiric system, for one thing cannot become special without devouring or absorbing the specialness of another.”
“The holiness of holy things is borrowed from other holy things which, in turn, borrow their holiness from older, higher, or holier things.
By contrast, the specialness of special things is self-derived. which is why special things are perpetually involved in a turf battle with one another.”
“Because new special things empty old special things of ther specialness, there is no tradition of special and special thing end up being short-lived by their very nature. Tradition implies obedience and predictability, but the very specialness of special things is derived from their refusal to obey. Consequendy a thíng that is special cannot be refined, tinkered with, tempered, or adjusted the way a traditional form can. Take the splater paintings of Jackson Pollock, for example. Pollock is famous for being the first person to paint in such a manner; however, he did not inaugurate a new form of painting, for anyone attempting to create drip paintings after Pollock will be accused of thievery, dullness of wit, and a lack of originality, Rather, Pollock daimed a style and content of painting entirely for himself, in much the same way that middle school boys greedily claim slices of pizza by licking them so others will be ashamed to eat them.”
“Anyone looking to follow in the footsteps of Pollock, Rothko, or Mondrian is out of luck. Pollock was not interested in painting nature. He was not interested in the world or in reality itself.
Rather, he painted himself, as all modern artists must do. In the world of contemporary art, imitation is a failure of self-expres-sion. Imitation is treason, for every act of imitation looks to the past. Imitation also implies hierarchy, for a man must choose whom to imitate. If he aims to imitate no one, however, he may claim success in all that he undertakes, for he has no standard outside himself by which his work can be judged.”
“Because specialness is self-derived and not borrowed from a transcendent power, it tends to crumble under the pressure of time. Specialness is a terrible burden which very few things are strong enough to shoulder for very long.”
“In the same way that Teddy Ruxpin was marketed as a better version of the plain teddy bear, special things are presented as an antidote to the ordinary, as sacraments of specialness which alleviate the boredom and meaninglessness induced by everything common. They cannot be presented as holy in an outright way, for holiness pertains to the soul and conjures thoughts of quietude, eternity, stillness, judgment, morality, piety, and con-templation, which are not thoughts which entice spending mon-ey. But if a mediocre thing is marketed as "special" it can be set apart from common things without invoking any sort of spiritual blessing or ceremony. "Special" is nothing more than fake holiness.”
“Shallow people find such movies aggravating because they assume there is nothing beyond mane appearances, but this is because they have remade the world in their own image.”
“Mediocre things corrupt the soul in a way that cannot be fixed through quantity alone. Mediocre things corrupt our desire for good things. The man who accepts mediocrity's offers of pleasure as authentic will simply become more and more frustrated with good things the longer he is subjected to them. A man who willingly blinds himself will not begin to see beautiful paintings simply because he stares at them for long enough. He must be wise enough to not blind himself in the first place.”
February 29, 2024
To summarize the underlying premise of this book, I'll quote C.S. Lewis, as quoted by the author:
"The joys of Heaven are, for most of us in our present condition, 'an acquired taste' - and certain ways of life may render the taste impossible of acquisition."
A very good read for my heart and mind.
"The joys of Heaven are, for most of us in our present condition, 'an acquired taste' - and certain ways of life may render the taste impossible of acquisition."
A very good read for my heart and mind.
July 2, 2023
I will reread this book, absolutely.
January 3, 2025
4.5 stars. This book guided a lot of my thinking throughout 2024 (probably in part because it took me six months to finish it), and I expect it will continue to shape my decisions about how I spend my time. I've been thinking a lot about the destructive nature of mediocre art over the last several years, so it wasn't hard for Gibbs to win me over. His cultural critiques resonated a lot with my own thoughts and his arguments were compelling (and eloquently spoken).
He's Orthodox, and I'm reformed Baptist (or something like that), so I couldn't get on board with all of his theological points. This did not detract from my appreciation of the book, though.
I'd love to re-read this book in a group. It would make for really fruitful discussion with other Christians (and already has made for great discussion with my husband, who also read it this year).
Too many great quotes to note, but here are a few:
"The man who is willing to waste his time on trashy movies is simply a man who is willing to waste his time." (170)
"Mediocre things starve the soul, deplete the spiritual soil of nutrients, and train the body to demand good things now---and not just a few good things, but as many good things as the body can physically handle. Mediocre things train people to find the Bible difficult, the Psalms dull, and true prayer ridiculously stuffy." (171)
"Civilization is not simply the subduing of nature, but the orderly adoration of the God Who reveals Himself in the beauty of nature." (235)
"Uncommon art clarifies and magnifies creation's natural inclination toward the Creator, which is [what] makes great art something of a gauntlet, albeit one worth running. Uncommon art binds heaven and earth while mediocre art confuses the two... Common art prepares us for uncommon art, and uncommon art prepares us for the halcyon joys of Glory. God has gifted a few great artists with the power to acclimatize us to heaven. We must use their help to begin acquiring the taste for Glory now." (269-270)
He's Orthodox, and I'm reformed Baptist (or something like that), so I couldn't get on board with all of his theological points. This did not detract from my appreciation of the book, though.
I'd love to re-read this book in a group. It would make for really fruitful discussion with other Christians (and already has made for great discussion with my husband, who also read it this year).
Too many great quotes to note, but here are a few:
"The man who is willing to waste his time on trashy movies is simply a man who is willing to waste his time." (170)
"Mediocre things starve the soul, deplete the spiritual soil of nutrients, and train the body to demand good things now---and not just a few good things, but as many good things as the body can physically handle. Mediocre things train people to find the Bible difficult, the Psalms dull, and true prayer ridiculously stuffy." (171)
"Civilization is not simply the subduing of nature, but the orderly adoration of the God Who reveals Himself in the beauty of nature." (235)
"Uncommon art clarifies and magnifies creation's natural inclination toward the Creator, which is [what] makes great art something of a gauntlet, albeit one worth running. Uncommon art binds heaven and earth while mediocre art confuses the two... Common art prepares us for uncommon art, and uncommon art prepares us for the halcyon joys of Glory. God has gifted a few great artists with the power to acclimatize us to heaven. We must use their help to begin acquiring the taste for Glory now." (269-270)
November 18, 2024
Inspiring. This is a book to read over again. Gibbs has insight into what makes man tick – and it’s scary. We love the “mediocre,” he says. The quick pleasures of accessible entertainment and easy thrills. We don’t want to work for our joy. Yet it’s the things that must be worked for that will stand up when time blows its fierce winds. This book practices what it preaches. While it’s engaging and fascinating, it’s not a light read. It rewards slow and thoughtful consideration. Just one practical takeaway, of many: what would it look like to decide, at the start of a year, what books to read, films to watch, places to experience, etc., rather than letting the whims of expediency and ease dictate such decisions?
December 7, 2023
There were some points that were solid and even a few words I learned in this volume. It came highly recommended to me, though now after reading it, I can't imagine why. It is well written. However, the content is tremendously tedious, too many words buried what Gibbs was attempting to say.
One point I very much disliked was an establishment point-of-view implicit throughout. For a follower of Christ, nothing is grand or magnificent about "the world" man has created. Yes, paintings and buildings are achievements in one sense. But they don't even last. I think Gibb's point is focusing on what's real rather than the ephemeral.
In the grand scheme of the books I've read, which have been of stupendous spiritual value to me, this one would not figure into the bottom five percent. It wasn't worth the time, nor the price tag.
I am sorry to be so harsh in review. But I have to be real. The older I get, the more precious the time in reading has become. Therefore, a book ought to be stupendous and wordsy. They ought to be as succinct as the facts will allow.
One point I very much disliked was an establishment point-of-view implicit throughout. For a follower of Christ, nothing is grand or magnificent about "the world" man has created. Yes, paintings and buildings are achievements in one sense. But they don't even last. I think Gibb's point is focusing on what's real rather than the ephemeral.
In the grand scheme of the books I've read, which have been of stupendous spiritual value to me, this one would not figure into the bottom five percent. It wasn't worth the time, nor the price tag.
I am sorry to be so harsh in review. But I have to be real. The older I get, the more precious the time in reading has become. Therefore, a book ought to be stupendous and wordsy. They ought to be as succinct as the facts will allow.
April 8, 2024
I must be mediocre
July 4, 2023
From my review at Front Porch Republic:
Gibbs proposes that our taste betrays our actual creeds—what we really believe about God, despite whatever we recite on Sundays or declare on our social media profiles. After all, if our souls are meant for God, learning to love good art—that is, things that have been touched by eternity and hence have lasted for centuries and counting—prepare our souls for eternity. “Every substance is ephemeral and destructible,” Gibbs writes, “but the soul is eternal—thus, when the artist impresses his soul into a substance, the substance retains some properties of the soul. If the soul is impressed deeply enough, the substance may retain the soul’s eternality.”
Gibbs takes as an axiom that it is hard to be virtuous, just as it is hard to love good and beautiful things. It takes work: “we must tremble and struggle to want good things.” Mediocrity he defines not as something less good or harmless, but as that which actually poisons our ability to experience good things, both common and uncommon.
Gibbs distinguishes between common and uncommon things this way: Common things are like a loaf of bread, a birthday party, a backyard picnic, John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads”—they are everyday, ordinary. Uncommon things are things like the Odyssey and Paradise Lost, Bach’s fugues and Michelangelo’s David: These are out of the ordinary, things that have lasted for more than a century because there is something transcendent about them. They instruct our souls, and often leave us speechless in their presence. Holy things are uncommon: The bread and wine that become Christ’s body and blood are uncommon, holy; the bread our mother bakes is common, and so we need more of it to feed our bodies, whereas only a bite of the Eucharist sustains us.
July 31, 2023
Fantastic, well-written good to thinking through how to decide how to spend our time. He does not prescribe what music specifically to listen to, what books to read, or what movies to watch. He offers instead a robust defense of imbibing regularly in old things. Not because they are old, in some sort of reflexive disdain of the modern, but because their quality has been tested by time.
Also offers the helpful category of uncommon (old and almost certain to offer high quality ideas or experiences), common (somewhat old, such as albums from the 1950s that still regularly sell), and mediocre (flashy, junk food media that will almost certainly not last in any meaningful sense).
Borders on pretension, but it’s difficult to talk about “how to improve your taste” without that kind of flavor. Gibbs approaches it about as well as I’ve ever read. He’s clearly widely and deeply read and I trust his thinking on this. Ironically of course, we don’t know whether his book itself will stand the test of time, but I found it enormously profitable.
Also offers the helpful category of uncommon (old and almost certain to offer high quality ideas or experiences), common (somewhat old, such as albums from the 1950s that still regularly sell), and mediocre (flashy, junk food media that will almost certainly not last in any meaningful sense).
Borders on pretension, but it’s difficult to talk about “how to improve your taste” without that kind of flavor. Gibbs approaches it about as well as I’ve ever read. He’s clearly widely and deeply read and I trust his thinking on this. Ironically of course, we don’t know whether his book itself will stand the test of time, but I found it enormously profitable.
March 15, 2025
Mediocre, but hard to disagree with the title. Life is easily cluttered and dissipated.
The author is Eastern Orthodox, and the book has a strong thread of traditionalism. Fiddler on the Roof came to mind.
In the end, I’m unsure whether enduring things are often virtuous. I do agree strong and great things last, and I’d certainly do better to reflect on those things.
The author is Eastern Orthodox, and the book has a strong thread of traditionalism. Fiddler on the Roof came to mind.
In the end, I’m unsure whether enduring things are often virtuous. I do agree strong and great things last, and I’d certainly do better to reflect on those things.
Read
December 3, 2024Loved this book! I plan to reread it next year. 4.5/5
THEME
I was attracted to this book after hearing Gibbs speak on the podcast "Classical Stuff You Should Know." I liked how he treated firmly yet tastefully the ways in which Christians should interact with culture. It was a cry for pretty a pretty hard-line approach to tradition and preserving the old. Yet it was done not from a place of fear or snobbery but grace and love. At least it seemed to me. The book held the same.
TONE
I found Gibbs to be eloquent, serious, yet also with a good helping of levity. Someone else compared his writing to Chesterton, and I have to agree just in the way it flowed on the page. I'd be laughing one moment then putting the book down to ponder the next. It was in the "imperative mood," which I don't know much about. But it was written as someone telling you what you ought to do, which I guess is what that is. And it came of well for me.
ARGUMENT
Gibbs argues that there are three classifications of cultural artifacts in his view: uncommon, common, and mediocre. Uncommon (holy) and common (everyday) things are both good and mutually beneficial in uplifting the soul and promoting truth, beauty, and goodness in our lives. Mediocre things, while not inherently sinful, entice us deeper and deeper into meaningless, empty, and perhaps ultimately sinful ways which leave us emptier and more devoid of character than before. He insists we must think more carefully about not just the things we watch on the internet, but on the big screens too. About the books we read, and the art we patron. About the music to which we listen. I was a bit lost in the final chapters where it did get a bit preachy and harder to follow. Which is why it is a 4.5 for me.
THEME
I was attracted to this book after hearing Gibbs speak on the podcast "Classical Stuff You Should Know." I liked how he treated firmly yet tastefully the ways in which Christians should interact with culture. It was a cry for pretty a pretty hard-line approach to tradition and preserving the old. Yet it was done not from a place of fear or snobbery but grace and love. At least it seemed to me. The book held the same.
TONE
I found Gibbs to be eloquent, serious, yet also with a good helping of levity. Someone else compared his writing to Chesterton, and I have to agree just in the way it flowed on the page. I'd be laughing one moment then putting the book down to ponder the next. It was in the "imperative mood," which I don't know much about. But it was written as someone telling you what you ought to do, which I guess is what that is. And it came of well for me.
ARGUMENT
Gibbs argues that there are three classifications of cultural artifacts in his view: uncommon, common, and mediocre. Uncommon (holy) and common (everyday) things are both good and mutually beneficial in uplifting the soul and promoting truth, beauty, and goodness in our lives. Mediocre things, while not inherently sinful, entice us deeper and deeper into meaningless, empty, and perhaps ultimately sinful ways which leave us emptier and more devoid of character than before. He insists we must think more carefully about not just the things we watch on the internet, but on the big screens too. About the books we read, and the art we patron. About the music to which we listen. I was a bit lost in the final chapters where it did get a bit preachy and harder to follow. Which is why it is a 4.5 for me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 2, 2024
When I first heard of this book from some of my fellow tutors, I was interested albeit skeptical. After reading the first chapter, my fascination and interest grew. As I was discussing with a couple of my friends about some of these ideas, we decided to spend our Saturday mornings discussing this book. Since that day it has been approximately 3 months. We have dived deep into the book and it has actually affected our lives much more than we initially anticipated. The premise is this: We have learned and chose to love things which do not last, things which are mediocre. Now this is the catch. Mediocre things are objectively mediocre and they destroy our souls. This was something which for us we more or less disagreed with. However, the more we read the more we began to see how wrong we were and how our choices about choosing actually matters for our soul. This book has been an absolute relief in a world which gives no real direction or purpose for really anyone.
As I have aged, the claims that any book is "my favorite" or is objectively a necessary read no longer enter my mind. However, I find myself thinking that everyone ought to read this book because of practically how lost we are when it comes to choosing good things.
As I have aged, the claims that any book is "my favorite" or is objectively a necessary read no longer enter my mind. However, I find myself thinking that everyone ought to read this book because of practically how lost we are when it comes to choosing good things.
December 8, 2023
How often do any of us find ourselves drifting; just reading what does not require one to think or particularly experience any depth of emotion? This book helped me realize that I had too often been reading without examining the content of my material. There is always a need to balance the books we read, plays or movies we watch, music we listen to, and, in general, pay attention to feeding our souls. I do not agree with some of the author’s views of history or some points of religion. The book helped me to go back to some classics I needed to reread, but some of the statements in the last chapter as a guide for all movies watched or books read are arguable.
June 26, 2025
3.5 stars, rounded up.
I wanted to love this book but it fell short of my expectations. Much of it reads too much like the musings of the “old man on a very long car trip without a radio” (ch. 10). I would count myself among readers who open the book accepting his definitions of mediocre, common, and uncommon things and found support for those ideals; but readers who believe mediocre things have redeeming values may be more offended than convinced by the tone of his rhetoric.
Even so. I will probably put it on my student’s senior reading list, because I think it will spark some good conversations about what kinds of things stand the test of time.
I wanted to love this book but it fell short of my expectations. Much of it reads too much like the musings of the “old man on a very long car trip without a radio” (ch. 10). I would count myself among readers who open the book accepting his definitions of mediocre, common, and uncommon things and found support for those ideals; but readers who believe mediocre things have redeeming values may be more offended than convinced by the tone of his rhetoric.
Even so. I will probably put it on my student’s senior reading list, because I think it will spark some good conversations about what kinds of things stand the test of time.
July 15, 2023
One reviewer said they finished the book and immediately started reading it again. Besides the Bible, I have never done that with any other book, however I did with this one - it really is that good.
Gibbs is thoughtful, insightful, and penetrating in his assessment of the malaise in our loves, providing helpful suggestions as to how we can love what is best.
There were many challenges for me to take away and act upon. You may need more pages in your commonplace book as there is much here that is wise and helpful. I hope to convince all of my children to read it!
Gibbs is thoughtful, insightful, and penetrating in his assessment of the malaise in our loves, providing helpful suggestions as to how we can love what is best.
There were many challenges for me to take away and act upon. You may need more pages in your commonplace book as there is much here that is wise and helpful. I hope to convince all of my children to read it!
August 14, 2023
I pre-read this in anticipation of reading with my 15 year old son this year. It covers so many of the things I see as a temptation to this generation growing up with such a fast pace of life and technology looming at every moment. I think having someone else say the things I want to say will be a much better outcome for us. I appreciate that the author came to many of these conclusions in his late 30's. We are all on a journey, and hopefully it was one towards things that last.
July 5, 2025
It is rare for me to be genuinely disappointed when a book ends, but that is how I felt at the end of this one. A friend summarized the essence of the book the best - “Keep doing what you’re doing, just do it better.”
Gibbs isn’t advocating for some ascetic renunciation of all that one enjoys in life. He is advocating for one to enjoy the right things.
Gibbs isn’t advocating for some ascetic renunciation of all that one enjoys in life. He is advocating for one to enjoy the right things.
July 24, 2023
A great book that made me reconsider how I spend my days. Insightful and critiquing without sounding like it comes from someone who thinks he has no faults. I plan to use excerpts to explain certain ideas to my students.
June 3, 2025
A profound work, nurtured and fed by the uncommon things the author commends to us. I think this book has already changed me. I hope that's true, at least.
A call to appreciat beauty, with a robust definition of beauty, is always appreciated.
A call to appreciat beauty, with a robust definition of beauty, is always appreciated.
October 31, 2025
I've read at least significant portions of this book 3 times in the last 18 months. While I have some disagreements with the owner in his ideas on aristocracy and progressive/conservatism, this book has changed the way I think about the world in which I live and the media I choose to consume.
September 3, 2023
Love What Lasts is the first book that I’ve read that offers a compelling Christian counter-offensive in the war for the imagination. It’s a must-read for parents, teachers and pastors. If you’re looking to escape from the dark wood of postmodern nihilism, let Mr. Gibbs be your Virgil.
January 31, 2024
Fascinating perspective on appreciating things in life, but especially the ones that stay around a long time
April 13, 2024
Good, helpful, practical advice on feeding the soul.
Read
October 22, 2024Couldn’t finish. Disappointingly the author tone was difficult to get past to what I’d imagine would be “good stuff”. Might be worth a revisit in another season
December 15, 2024
Absolute must for anyone wanting to educate classically. If not for selfish reasons, you will need to retrain your heart and this is the book to do it!
January 27, 2025
3.5 stars
February 10, 2025
Some surprisingly insightful sections, but not as dense as I had thought it would be. Still very good.
July 29, 2025
Should be required reading for high school juniors and seniors. A book that's meant to be digested. I need a reread.
January 5, 2025
A really wonderful book that pierces the heart of the zeitgeist. From film, to architecture, to the French Revolution, and social media, Gibbs makes a compelling case to love the things that endure, that transcend.
“Common art prepares us for uncommon art, and uncommon art prepares us for the halcyon joys of Glory. God has gifted a few great artists with the power to acclimatize us to heaven. We must use their help to begin acquiring the taste for Glory now.”
Therefore, flee mediocrity, acquire taste, and love what lasts.
“Common art prepares us for uncommon art, and uncommon art prepares us for the halcyon joys of Glory. God has gifted a few great artists with the power to acclimatize us to heaven. We must use their help to begin acquiring the taste for Glory now.”
Therefore, flee mediocrity, acquire taste, and love what lasts.
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