diff --git a/lib/ansible/playbook.py b/lib/ansible/playbook.py
index ea2294ebb74..282f2828efd 100755
--- a/lib/ansible/playbook.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/playbook.py
@@ -449,7 +449,7 @@ class PlayBook(object):
         # magic in Runner()
         push_var_str=''
         for (k,v) in vars.iteritems():
-            push_var_str += "%s=%s " % (k,v)
+            push_var_str += "%s=\"%s\" " % (k,v)
 
         # push any variables down to the system
         setup_results = ansible.runner.Runner(
diff --git a/test/TestPlayBook.py b/test/TestPlayBook.py
index ecfce412a84..47ce55945c6 100644
--- a/test/TestPlayBook.py
+++ b/test/TestPlayBook.py
@@ -117,3 +117,7 @@ class TestRunner(unittest.TestCase):
        print utils.bigjson(actual)
        assert cmp(expected, actual) == 0, "expected events match actual events"
 
+       # make sure the template module took options from the vars section
+       data = file('/tmp/ansible_test_data_template.out').read()
+       assert data.find("ears") != -1, "template success"
+
diff --git a/test/playbook1.yml b/test/playbook1.yml
index 5894348ecd3..d1f6b2902c1 100644
--- a/test/playbook1.yml
+++ b/test/playbook1.yml
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 ---
 - hosts: all
   vars:
-    answer: "???"
+    answer: "Wuh, I think so, Brain, but if we didn't have ears, we'd look like weasels."
     port: 5150
 
   tasks: