diff --git a/xonsh/aliases.py b/xonsh/aliases.py
index 104eec6aa..1915079ce 100644
--- a/xonsh/aliases.py
+++ b/xonsh/aliases.py
@@ -23,7 +23,13 @@ from xonsh.platform import (
 from xonsh.tools import unthreadable, print_color
 from xonsh.replay import replay_main
 from xonsh.timings import timeit_alias
-from xonsh.tools import argvquote, escape_windows_cmd_string, to_bool, swap_values
+from xonsh.tools import (
+    argvquote,
+    escape_windows_cmd_string,
+    to_bool,
+    swap_values,
+    strip_simple_quotes,
+)
 from xonsh.xontribs import xontribs_main
 from xonsh.ast import isexpression
 
@@ -118,7 +124,7 @@ class Aliases(cabc.MutableMapping):
             if isexpression(val):
                 # expansion substitution
                 lexer = __xonsh__.execer.parser.lexer
-                self._raw[key] = lexer.split(val)
+                self._raw[key] = list(map(strip_simple_quotes, lexer.split(val)))
             else:
                 # need to exec alias
                 f = "<exec-alias:" + key + ">"
diff --git a/xonsh/tools.py b/xonsh/tools.py
index a3394d36e..687b331d7 100644
--- a/xonsh/tools.py
+++ b/xonsh/tools.py
@@ -1979,6 +1979,38 @@ def RE_COMPLETE_STRING():
     return re.compile(ptrn, re.DOTALL)
 
 
+def strip_simple_quotes(s):
+    """Gets rid of single quotes, double quotes, single triple quotes, and
+    single double quotes from a string, if present front and back of a string.
+    Otherwiswe, does nothing.
+    """
+    starts_single = s.startswith("'")
+    starts_double = s.startswith('"')
+    if not starts_single and not starts_double:
+        return s
+    elif starts_single:
+        ends_single = s.endswith("'")
+        if not ends_single:
+            return s
+        elif s.startswith("'''") and s.endswith("'''") and len(s) >= 6:
+            return s[3:-3]
+        elif len(s) >= 2:
+            return s[1:-1]
+        else:
+            return s
+    else:
+        # starts double
+        ends_double = s.endswith('"')
+        if not ends_double:
+            return s
+        elif s.startswith('"""') and s.endswith('"""') and len(s) >= 6:
+            return s[3:-3]
+        elif len(s) >= 2:
+            return s[1:-1]
+        else:
+            return s
+
+
 def check_for_partial_string(x):
     """Returns the starting index (inclusive), ending index (exclusive), and
     starting quote string of the most recent Python string found in the input.