diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 96e482472..56028aa3f 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -63,7 +63,7 @@ Nelmio\Entity\User:
 Nelmio\Entity\Group:
     group1:
         name: Admins
-        owner: @user1
+        owner: '@user1'
         members: <numberBetween(1, 10)>x @user*
         created: <dateTimeBetween('-200 days', 'now')>
         updated: <dateTimeBetween($created, 'now')>
diff --git a/doc/customizing-data-generation.md b/doc/customizing-data-generation.md
index bbcf15595..d5b459765 100644
--- a/doc/customizing-data-generation.md
+++ b/doc/customizing-data-generation.md
@@ -77,7 +77,7 @@ Nelmio\Data\Geopoint (local):
 Nelmio\Entity\Location:
     loc{1..100}:
         name: <city()>
-        geopoint: @geo1
+        geopoint: '@geo1'
 ```
 
 
diff --git a/doc/fixtures-refactoring.md b/doc/fixtures-refactoring.md
index 815ba6566..4a0cc3552 100644
--- a/doc/fixtures-refactoring.md
+++ b/doc/fixtures-refactoring.md
@@ -112,7 +112,7 @@ Nelmio\Entity\User:
 Nelmio\Entity\Group:
     group1:
         name: Admins
-        owner: @user1
+        owner: '@user1'
         members: <numberBetween(1, 10)>x @user*
         created: <dateTimeBetween('-200 days', 'now')>
         updated: <dateTimeBetween($created, 'now')>
diff --git a/doc/relations-handling.md b/doc/relations-handling.md
index 1cd58d808..e6fe2703c 100644
--- a/doc/relations-handling.md
+++ b/doc/relations-handling.md
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ Nelmio\Entity\User:
 Nelmio\Entity\Group:
     group1:
         name: Admins
-        owner: @user1
+        owner: '@user1'
 ```
 
 Alice also allows you to directly reference objects' properties using the ```@name->property``` notation.
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ Nelmio\Entity\User:
 Nelmio\Entity\Group:
     group1:
         name: Admins
-        owner: @user1->username
+        owner: '@user1->username'
 ```
 
 To be able to use this feature, your entities have to match some requirements :
@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@ Nelmio\Entity\User:
 Nelmio\Entity\Group:
     group1:
         name: Admins
-        owner: @user1->id
+        owner: '@user1->id'
 ```
 
 If you want to create ten users and ten groups and have each user own one
@@ -59,7 +59,7 @@ Nelmio\Entity\User:
 
 Nelmio\Entity\Group:
     group{1..10}:
-        owner: @user<current()>
+        owner: '@user<current()>'
 ```
 
 If you would like a random user instead of a fixed one, you can define a
@@ -72,7 +72,7 @@ Nelmio\Entity\User:
 Nelmio\Entity\Group:
     group1:
         name: Admins
-        owner: @user*
+        owner: '@user*'
 ```
 
 It will then pick any object whose name matches `user*` where `*` can be any
@@ -113,8 +113,8 @@ Nelmio\Entity\User:
 Nelmio\Entity\Group:
     group1:
         name: Admins
-        owner: @user1
-        members: [@user2, @user3]
+        owner: '@user1'
+        members: ['@user2', '@user3']
 ```
 
 Another, which is more interesting, is to define a reference with a wildcard,
@@ -127,7 +127,7 @@ Nelmio\Entity\User:
 Nelmio\Entity\Group:
     group1:
         name: Admins
-        owner: @user1
+        owner: '@user1'
         members: 5x @user*
 ```
 
@@ -149,7 +149,7 @@ Nelmio\Entity\User:
 
 Nelmio\Entity\Group:
     group{1..10}:
-        members: @user{1..10}
+        members: '@user{1..10}'
 ```
 
 > **Note**: You do not need to define multi-references inside an array, since
diff --git a/tests/Nelmio/Alice/support/fixtures/backslashes.yml b/tests/Nelmio/Alice/support/fixtures/backslashes.yml
index 6a64ce41e..4853796a7 100644
--- a/tests/Nelmio/Alice/support/fixtures/backslashes.yml
+++ b/tests/Nelmio/Alice/support/fixtures/backslashes.yml
@@ -4,4 +4,4 @@ Nelmio\Alice\support\models\User:
     user0:
         username: |-
             \\
-        friends: [@foo, \@foo, \\@foo, \\\@foo]
+        friends: ['@foo', \@foo, \\@foo, \\\@foo]
diff --git a/tests/Nelmio/Alice/support/fixtures/complete.yml b/tests/Nelmio/Alice/support/fixtures/complete.yml
index 6db05251a..158db444b 100644
--- a/tests/Nelmio/Alice/support/fixtures/complete.yml
+++ b/tests/Nelmio/Alice/support/fixtures/complete.yml
@@ -8,22 +8,22 @@ Nelmio\Alice\support\models\User:
     user{1..10}:
         username: <username()>
         fullname: <firstName()> <lastName()>
-        birthDate: 80%? <date> : 0000-00-00
+        birthDate: '80%? <date> : 0000-00-00'
         email: <email()>
         favoriteNumber: 40%? <numberBetween(1, 99)>
 
 Nelmio\Alice\support\models\Contact:
     contact0:
-        __construct: [@user0]
+        __construct: ['@user0']
 
 Nelmio\Alice\support\models\Group:
     group{0...1}:
         name: <company()>
         members: 20%? 3x @user*
-        owner: @user<current()>
+        owner: '@user<current()>'
     group1:
         name: <company()>
         members: 3x @user*
         owner: 1
-        contactPerson: @contact*->user
+        contactPerson: '@contact*->user'
         contactPersonName: <contactName($contactPerson)>
diff --git a/tests/Nelmio/Alice/support/fixtures/include.yml b/tests/Nelmio/Alice/support/fixtures/include.yml
index fc1259fb3..905683952 100644
--- a/tests/Nelmio/Alice/support/fixtures/include.yml
+++ b/tests/Nelmio/Alice/support/fixtures/include.yml
@@ -8,11 +8,11 @@ parameters:
 Nelmio\Alice\fixtures\Product:
   product0:
     changed: y
-    user: @user1
+    user: '@user1'
   product1:
     amount: 45
     paid: n
-    user: @user0
+    user: '@user0'
 
 Nelmio\Alice\fixtures\Shop:
   shop1:
diff --git a/tests/Nelmio/Alice/support/fixtures/part_1.yml b/tests/Nelmio/Alice/support/fixtures/part_1.yml
index 81130f1e5..f56f022f9 100644
--- a/tests/Nelmio/Alice/support/fixtures/part_1.yml
+++ b/tests/Nelmio/Alice/support/fixtures/part_1.yml
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ Nelmio\Alice\support\models\User:
     user{1..10}:
         username: <username()>
         fullname: <firstName()> <lastName()>
-        birthDate: 80%? <date> : 0000-00-00
+        birthDate: '80%? <date> : 0000-00-00'
         email: <email()>
         favoriteNumber: 40%? <numberBetween(1, 99)>
 
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ Nelmio\Alice\support\models\User:
         favoriteNumber: 127
     user_full (template, extends user_bare):
         fullname: <firstName()> <lastName()>
-        birthDate: 80%? <date> : 0000-00-00
+        birthDate: '80%? <date> : 0000-00-00'
         email: <email()>
         favoriteNumber: 40%? <numberBetween(1, 99)>
     user11 (extends user_full):
diff --git a/tests/Nelmio/Alice/support/fixtures/part_2.yml b/tests/Nelmio/Alice/support/fixtures/part_2.yml
index 743b169b9..50753e310 100644
--- a/tests/Nelmio/Alice/support/fixtures/part_2.yml
+++ b/tests/Nelmio/Alice/support/fixtures/part_2.yml
@@ -1,15 +1,15 @@
 Nelmio\Alice\support\models\Contact:
     contact0:
-        __construct: [@user0]
+        __construct: ['@user0']
 
 Nelmio\Alice\support\models\Group:
     group{0...1}:
         name: <company()>
         members: 20%? 3x @user*
-        owner: @user<current()>
+        owner: '@user<current()>'
     group1:
         name: <company()>
         members: 3x @user*
         owner: 1
-        contactPerson: @contact*->user
+        contactPerson: '@contact*->user'
         contactPersonName: <contactName($contactPerson)>
diff --git a/tests/Nelmio/Alice/support/fixtures/sequenced_items.yml b/tests/Nelmio/Alice/support/fixtures/sequenced_items.yml
index 51507b3c2..860cfd75b 100644
--- a/tests/Nelmio/Alice/support/fixtures/sequenced_items.yml
+++ b/tests/Nelmio/Alice/support/fixtures/sequenced_items.yml
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
         uuid: <current()>
         username: <username()>
         fullname: <firstName()> <lastName()>
-        birthDate: 80%? <date> : 0000-00-00
+        birthDate: '80%? <date> : 0000-00-00'
         email: <email()>
         favoriteNumber: 40%? <numberBetween(1, 99)>
 
@@ -12,5 +12,5 @@
 Nelmio\Alice\support\models\Group:
     group1:
         name: <company()>
-        members: @user{1..10}
-        owner: @user2
\ No newline at end of file
+        members: '@user{1..10}'
+        owner: '@user2'