diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index 4a35597f..4edfbea1 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -1331,14 +1331,8 @@ if test x"$LIB_FUZZING_ENGINE" = x; then
   LIB_FUZZING_ENGINE="libstandaloneengine.a"
 fi
 
-# Gather all up for VIPS_CFLAGS, VIPS_INCLUDES, VIPS_LIBS 
-# sort includes to get longer, more specific dirs first
-# helps, for example, selecting graphicsmagick over imagemagick
-VIPS_CFLAGS=`for i in $VIPS_CFLAGS $GTHREAD_CFLAGS $GIO_CFLAGS $REQUIRED_CFLAGS $EXPAT_CFLAGS $ZLIB_CFLAGS $PANGOFT2_CFLAGS $GSF_CFLAGS $FFTW_CFLAGS $MAGICK_CFLAGS $JPEG_CFLAGS $PNG_CFLAGS $IMAGEQUANT_CFLAGS $EXIF_CFLAGS $MATIO_CFLAGS $CFITSIO_CFLAGS $LIBWEBP_CFLAGS $LIBWEBPMUX_CFLAGS $GIFLIB_INCLUDES $RSVG_CFLAGS $PDFIUM_INCLUDES $POPPLER_CFLAGS $OPENEXR_CFLAGS $OPENSLIDE_CFLAGS $ORC_CFLAGS $TIFF_CFLAGS $LCMS_CFLAGS $HEIF_CFLAGS
-do 
-	echo $i 
-done | sort -ru`
-VIPS_CFLAGS=`echo $VIPS_CFLAGS`
+# Gather all up for VIPS_CFLAGS, VIPS_INCLUDES, VIPS_LIBS
+VIPS_CFLAGS="$VIPS_CFLAGS $GTHREAD_CFLAGS $GIO_CFLAGS $REQUIRED_CFLAGS $EXPAT_CFLAGS $ZLIB_CFLAGS $PANGOFT2_CFLAGS $GSF_CFLAGS $FFTW_CFLAGS $MAGICK_CFLAGS $JPEG_CFLAGS $PNG_CFLAGS $IMAGEQUANT_CFLAGS $EXIF_CFLAGS $MATIO_CFLAGS $CFITSIO_CFLAGS $LIBWEBP_CFLAGS $LIBWEBPMUX_CFLAGS $GIFLIB_INCLUDES $RSVG_CFLAGS $PDFIUM_INCLUDES $POPPLER_CFLAGS $OPENEXR_CFLAGS $OPENSLIDE_CFLAGS $ORC_CFLAGS $TIFF_CFLAGS $LCMS_CFLAGS $HEIF_CFLAGS"
 VIPS_CFLAGS="$VIPS_DEBUG_FLAGS $VIPS_CFLAGS"
 VIPS_INCLUDES="$ZLIB_INCLUDES $PNG_INCLUDES $TIFF_INCLUDES $JPEG_INCLUDES $NIFTI_INCLUDES" 
 VIPS_LIBS="$ZLIB_LIBS $HEIF_LIBS $MAGICK_LIBS $PNG_LIBS $IMAGEQUANT_LIBS $TIFF_LIBS $JPEG_LIBS $GTHREAD_LIBS $GIO_LIBS $REQUIRED_LIBS $EXPAT_LIBS $PANGOFT2_LIBS $GSF_LIBS $FFTW_LIBS $ORC_LIBS $LCMS_LIBS $GIFLIB_LIBS $RSVG_LIBS $NIFTI_LIBS $PDFIUM_LIBS $POPPLER_LIBS $OPENEXR_LIBS $OPENSLIDE_LIBS $CFITSIO_LIBS $LIBWEBP_LIBS $LIBWEBPMUX_LIBS $MATIO_LIBS $EXIF_LIBS -lm"