diff --git a/mercurial/util.py b/mercurial/util.py
--- a/mercurial/util.py
+++ b/mercurial/util.py
@@ -2191,7 +2191,7 @@
             else:
                 break
         else:
-            raise error.ParseError(_('invalid date: %r') % date)
+            raise error.ParseError(_('invalid date: %s') % shellquote(date))
     # validate explicit (probably user-specified) date and
     # time zone offset. values must fit in signed 32 bits for
     # current 32-bit linux runtimes. timezones go from UTC-12
diff --git a/tests/test-commit.t b/tests/test-commit.t
--- a/tests/test-commit.t
+++ b/tests/test-commit.t
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@
   hg: parse error: impossible time zone offset: 4444444
   [255]
   $ hg commit -d '1	15.1' -m commit-4
-  hg: parse error: invalid date: '1\t15.1'
+  hg: parse error: invalid date: '1	15.1'
   [255]
   $ hg commit -d 'foo bar' -m commit-5
   hg: parse error: invalid date: 'foo bar'
diff --git a/tests/test-revset.t b/tests/test-revset.t
--- a/tests/test-revset.t
+++ b/tests/test-revset.t
@@ -413,7 +413,7 @@
   hg: parse error: invalid \x escape
   [255]
   $ log 'date(tip)'
-  hg: parse error: invalid date: 'tip'
+  hg: parse error: invalid date: tip
   [255]
   $ log '0:date'
   abort: unknown revision 'date'!