diff --git a/client/djrandom_client/utils.py b/client/djrandom_client/utils.py
index a1241ee37f68e9e2260561c04c965bf362e9b31e..5efa285596b3b57dc273e73799eb71e1f20631f0 100644
--- a/client/djrandom_client/utils.py
+++ b/client/djrandom_client/utils.py
@@ -1,11 +1,8 @@
 import hashlib
-import logging
 import os
 
 NESTING = 2
 
-log = logging.getLogger(__name__)
-
 
 def generate_path(base_dir, sha1):
     dir_parts = [base_dir]
@@ -31,8 +28,14 @@ class SyntaxError(Exception):
     pass
 
 
+def _unquote(s):
+    for qchar in ('"', '\''):
+        if s.startswith(qchar) and s.endswith(qchar):
+            return s.strip(qchar)
+    return s
+
+
 def read_config_defaults(parser, path):
-    log.debug('reading config from %s' % path)
     if not os.path.exists(path):
         return
     with open(path, 'r') as fd:
@@ -44,5 +47,4 @@ def read_config_defaults(parser, path):
                 raise SyntaxError('%s, line %d: Syntax Error' % (
                         path, 1 + linenum))
             var, value = map(lambda x: x.strip(), line.split('=', 1))
-            log.debug('config: %s = "%s"' % (var, value))
-            parser.set_default(var, value)
+            parser.set_default(var, _unquote(value))