diff --git a/src/bash.rs b/src/bash.rs
index 42e329b..6f91d53 100644
--- a/src/bash.rs
+++ b/src/bash.rs
@@ -124,9 +124,9 @@ impl Bash {
     ///
     pub fn quote_vec<'a, S: ?Sized + Into<Quotable<'a>>>(s: S) -> Vec<u8> {
         match s.into() {
-            Quotable::Bytes(bytes) => match bytes::escape_prepare(bytes) {
+            Quotable::Bytes(ref bytes) => match bytes::escape_prepare(bytes) {
                 bytes::Prepared::Empty => vec![b'\'', b'\''],
-                bytes::Prepared::Inert => bytes.into(),
+                bytes::Prepared::Inert => bytes.clone().into_owned(),
                 bytes::Prepared::Escape(esc) => {
                     // This may be a pointless optimisation, but calculate the
                     // memory needed to avoid reallocations as we construct the
@@ -137,9 +137,9 @@ impl Bash {
                     sout
                 }
             },
-            Quotable::Text(text) => match text::escape_prepare(text) {
+            Quotable::Text(ref text) => match text::escape_prepare(text) {
                 text::Prepared::Empty => vec![b'\'', b'\''],
-                text::Prepared::Inert => text.into(),
+                text::Prepared::Inert => text.as_bytes().into(),
                 text::Prepared::Escape(esc) => {
                     // This may be a pointless optimisation, but calculate the
                     // memory needed to avoid reallocations as we construct the
@@ -170,9 +170,9 @@ impl Bash {
     ///
     pub fn quote_into_vec<'a, S: ?Sized + Into<Quotable<'a>>>(s: S, sout: &mut Vec<u8>) {
         match s.into() {
-            Quotable::Bytes(bytes) => match bytes::escape_prepare(bytes) {
+            Quotable::Bytes(ref bytes) => match bytes::escape_prepare(bytes) {
                 bytes::Prepared::Empty => sout.extend(b"''"),
-                bytes::Prepared::Inert => sout.extend(bytes),
+                bytes::Prepared::Inert => sout.extend(bytes.as_ref()),
                 bytes::Prepared::Escape(esc) => {
                     // This may be a pointless optimisation, but calculate the
                     // memory needed to avoid reallocations as we construct the
@@ -184,7 +184,7 @@ impl Bash {
                     debug_assert_eq!(cap, sout.capacity()); // No reallocations.
                 }
             },
-            Quotable::Text(text) => match text::escape_prepare(text) {
+            Quotable::Text(ref text) => match text::escape_prepare(text) {
                 text::Prepared::Empty => sout.extend(b"''"),
                 text::Prepared::Inert => sout.extend(text.as_bytes()),
                 text::Prepared::Escape(esc) => {
diff --git a/src/fish.rs b/src/fish.rs
index 673d315..fa9a82a 100644
--- a/src/fish.rs
+++ b/src/fish.rs
@@ -90,18 +90,18 @@ impl Fish {
     /// ```
     pub fn quote_vec<'a, S: ?Sized + Into<Quotable<'a>>>(s: S) -> Vec<u8> {
         match s.into() {
-            Quotable::Bytes(bytes) => match bytes::escape_prepare(bytes) {
+            Quotable::Bytes(ref bytes) => match bytes::escape_prepare(bytes) {
                 bytes::Prepared::Empty => vec![b'\'', b'\''],
-                bytes::Prepared::Inert => bytes.into(),
+                bytes::Prepared::Inert => bytes.clone().into_owned(),
                 bytes::Prepared::Escape(esc) => {
                     let mut sout = Vec::with_capacity(esc.len() + 2);
                     bytes::escape_chars(esc, &mut sout); // Do the work.
                     sout
                 }
             },
-            Quotable::Text(text) => match text::escape_prepare(text) {
+            Quotable::Text(ref text) => match text::escape_prepare(text) {
                 text::Prepared::Empty => vec![b'\'', b'\''],
-                text::Prepared::Inert => text.into(),
+                text::Prepared::Inert => text.as_bytes().into(),
                 text::Prepared::Escape(esc) => {
                     let mut sout = Vec::with_capacity(esc.len() + 2);
                     text::escape_chars(esc, &mut sout); // Do the work.
@@ -128,15 +128,15 @@ impl Fish {
     ///
     pub fn quote_into_vec<'a, S: ?Sized + Into<Quotable<'a>>>(s: S, sout: &mut Vec<u8>) {
         match s.into() {
-            Quotable::Bytes(bytes) => match bytes::escape_prepare(bytes) {
+            Quotable::Bytes(ref bytes) => match bytes::escape_prepare(bytes) {
                 bytes::Prepared::Empty => sout.extend(b"''"),
-                bytes::Prepared::Inert => sout.extend(bytes),
+                bytes::Prepared::Inert => sout.extend(bytes.as_ref()),
                 bytes::Prepared::Escape(esc) => {
                     sout.reserve(esc.len() + 2);
                     bytes::escape_chars(esc, sout); // Do the work.
                 }
             },
-            Quotable::Text(text) => match text::escape_prepare(text) {
+            Quotable::Text(ref text) => match text::escape_prepare(text) {
                 text::Prepared::Empty => sout.extend(b"''"),
                 text::Prepared::Inert => sout.extend(text.as_bytes()),
                 text::Prepared::Escape(esc) => {
diff --git a/src/lib.rs b/src/lib.rs
index fe8f86f..3d9a15a 100644
--- a/src/lib.rs
+++ b/src/lib.rs
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@
     doc = include_str!("../README.md")
 )]
 
+use std::borrow::Cow;
 use std::ffi::{OsStr, OsString};
 use std::path::{Path, PathBuf};
 
@@ -111,41 +112,53 @@ pub enum Quotable<'a> {
         not(any(feature = "bash", feature = "fish", feature = "sh")),
         allow(unused)
     )]
-    Bytes(&'a [u8]),
+    Bytes(Cow<'a, [u8]>),
     #[cfg_attr(
         not(any(feature = "bash", feature = "fish", feature = "sh")),
         allow(unused)
     )]
-    Text(&'a str),
+    Text(Cow<'a, str>),
+}
+
+impl From<u8> for Quotable<'static> {
+    fn from(source: u8) -> Quotable<'static> {
+        Quotable::Bytes(Cow::Owned(vec![source]))
+    }
+}
+
+impl From<char> for Quotable<'static> {
+    fn from(source: char) -> Quotable<'static> {
+        Quotable::Text(Cow::Owned(source.to_string()))
+    }
 }
 
 impl<'a> From<&'a [u8]> for Quotable<'a> {
     fn from(source: &'a [u8]) -> Quotable<'a> {
-        Quotable::Bytes(source)
+        Quotable::Bytes(Cow::Borrowed(source))
     }
 }
 
 impl<'a, const N: usize> From<&'a [u8; N]> for Quotable<'a> {
     fn from(source: &'a [u8; N]) -> Quotable<'a> {
-        Quotable::Bytes(&source[..])
+        Quotable::Bytes(Cow::Borrowed(&source[..]))
     }
 }
 
 impl<'a> From<&'a Vec<u8>> for Quotable<'a> {
     fn from(source: &'a Vec<u8>) -> Quotable<'a> {
-        Quotable::Bytes(source)
+        Quotable::Bytes(Cow::Borrowed(source))
     }
 }
 
 impl<'a> From<&'a str> for Quotable<'a> {
     fn from(source: &'a str) -> Quotable<'a> {
-        Quotable::Text(source)
+        Quotable::Text(Cow::Borrowed(source))
     }
 }
 
 impl<'a> From<&'a String> for Quotable<'a> {
     fn from(source: &'a String) -> Quotable<'a> {
-        Quotable::Text(source)
+        Quotable::Text(Cow::Borrowed(source))
     }
 }
 
diff --git a/src/sh.rs b/src/sh.rs
index ef032f0..f96e98a 100644
--- a/src/sh.rs
+++ b/src/sh.rs
@@ -136,9 +136,10 @@ impl Sh {
     /// ```
     ///
     pub fn quote_vec<'a, S: ?Sized + Into<Quotable<'a>>>(s: S) -> Vec<u8> {
-        let bytes = match s.into() {
-            Quotable::Bytes(bytes) => bytes,
-            Quotable::Text(s) => s.as_bytes(),
+        let quotable = s.into();
+        let bytes = match quotable {
+            Quotable::Bytes(ref bytes) => bytes.as_ref(),
+            Quotable::Text(ref text) => text.as_bytes(),
         };
         match escape_prepare(bytes) {
             Prepared::Empty => vec![b'\'', b'\''],
@@ -180,9 +181,10 @@ impl Sh {
     /// ```
     ///
     pub fn quote_into_vec<'a, S: ?Sized + Into<Quotable<'a>>>(s: S, sout: &mut Vec<u8>) {
-        let bytes = match s.into() {
-            Quotable::Bytes(bytes) => bytes,
-            Quotable::Text(s) => s.as_bytes(),
+        let quotable = s.into();
+        let bytes = match quotable {
+            Quotable::Bytes(ref bytes) => bytes.as_ref(),
+            Quotable::Text(ref text) => text.as_bytes(),
         };
         match escape_prepare(bytes) {
             Prepared::Empty => sout.extend(b"''"),