diff --git a/test/p2p/client.sh b/test/p2p/client.sh
index f3025ba58..fa11ce870 100644
--- a/test/p2p/client.sh
+++ b/test/p2p/client.sh
@@ -11,9 +11,9 @@ NAME=test_container_$ID
 echo "starting test client container with CMD=$CMD"
 # run the test container on the local network
 docker run -t --rm \
-	-v $GOPATH/src/github.com/tendermint/tendermint/test/p2p/:/go/src/github.com/tendermint/tendermint/test/p2p \
-	--net=$NETWORK_NAME \
+	-v "$GOPATH/src/github.com/tendermint/tendermint/test/p2p/:/go/src/github.com/tendermint/tendermint/test/p2p" \
+	--net="$NETWORK_NAME" \
 	--ip=$(test/p2p/ip.sh "-1") \
-	--name $NAME \
+	--name "$NAME" \
 	--entrypoint bash \
-	$DOCKER_IMAGE $CMD
+	"$DOCKER_IMAGE" $CMD
diff --git a/test/p2p/local_testnet_start.sh b/test/p2p/local_testnet_start.sh
index 9a280c594..b7cfb959e 100644
--- a/test/p2p/local_testnet_start.sh
+++ b/test/p2p/local_testnet_start.sh
@@ -14,11 +14,11 @@ if [[ "$SEEDS" != "" ]]; then
 fi
 set -u
 
-cd $GOPATH/src/github.com/tendermint/tendermint
+cd "$GOPATH/src/github.com/tendermint/tendermint"
 
 # create docker network
-docker network create --driver bridge --subnet 172.57.0.0/16 $NETWORK_NAME
+docker network create --driver bridge --subnet 172.57.0.0/16 "$NETWORK_NAME"
 
-for i in `seq 1 $N`; do
-	bash test/p2p/peer.sh $DOCKER_IMAGE $NETWORK_NAME $i $APP_PROXY "$SEEDS --pex"
+for i in $(seq 1 "$N"); do
+	bash test/p2p/peer.sh "$DOCKER_IMAGE" "$NETWORK_NAME" "$i" "$APP_PROXY" "$SEEDS --pex"
 done
diff --git a/test/p2p/local_testnet_stop.sh b/test/p2p/local_testnet_stop.sh
index 8edd3eeb7..1dace4694 100644
--- a/test/p2p/local_testnet_stop.sh
+++ b/test/p2p/local_testnet_stop.sh
@@ -4,9 +4,9 @@ set -u
 NETWORK_NAME=$1
 N=$2
 
-for i in `seq 1 $N`; do
-  docker stop local_testnet_$i
-  docker rm -vf local_testnet_$i
+for i in $(seq 1 "$N"); do
+  docker stop "local_testnet_$i"
+  docker rm -vf "local_testnet_$i"
 done
 
-docker network rm $NETWORK_NAME
+docker network rm "$NETWORK_NAME"
diff --git a/test/p2p/peer.sh b/test/p2p/peer.sh
index adeb01a10..5299a3c60 100644
--- a/test/p2p/peer.sh
+++ b/test/p2p/peer.sh
@@ -17,23 +17,23 @@ echo "starting tendermint peer ID=$ID"
 if [[ "$CIRCLECI" == true ]]; then
 	set -u
 	docker run -d \
-	  --net=$NETWORK_NAME \
+	  --net="$NETWORK_NAME" \
 	  --ip=$(test/p2p/ip.sh $ID) \
-	  --name local_testnet_$ID \
+	  --name "local_testnet_$ID" \
 	  --entrypoint tendermint \
-	  -e TMROOT=/go/src/github.com/tendermint/tendermint/test/p2p/data/mach$ID/core \
+	  -e TMROOT="/go/src/github.com/tendermint/tendermint/test/p2p/data/mach$ID/core" \
 		--log-driver=syslog \
 		--log-opt syslog-address=udp://127.0.0.1:5514 \
 		--log-opt syslog-facility=daemon \
 		--log-opt tag="{{.Name}}" \
-  	  $DOCKER_IMAGE node $NODE_FLAGS --log_level=debug --proxy_app=$APP_PROXY
+  	  "$DOCKER_IMAGE" node $NODE_FLAGS --log_level=debug --proxy_app="$APP_PROXY"
 else
 	set -u
 	docker run -d \
-	  --net=$NETWORK_NAME \
+	  --net="$NETWORK_NAME" \
 	  --ip=$(test/p2p/ip.sh $ID) \
-	  --name local_testnet_$ID \
+	  --name "local_testnet_$ID" \
 	  --entrypoint tendermint \
-	  -e TMROOT=/go/src/github.com/tendermint/tendermint/test/p2p/data/mach$ID/core \
-  	  $DOCKER_IMAGE node $NODE_FLAGS --log_level=info --proxy_app=$APP_PROXY
+	  -e TMROOT="/go/src/github.com/tendermint/tendermint/test/p2p/data/mach$ID/core" \
+  	  "$DOCKER_IMAGE" node $NODE_FLAGS --log_level=info --proxy_app="$APP_PROXY"
 fi
diff --git a/test/p2p/seeds.sh b/test/p2p/seeds.sh
index 471476ad0..4bf866cba 100644
--- a/test/p2p/seeds.sh
+++ b/test/p2p/seeds.sh
@@ -3,10 +3,10 @@ set -eu
 
 N=$1
 
-cd $GOPATH/src/github.com/tendermint/tendermint
+cd "$GOPATH/src/github.com/tendermint/tendermint"
 
 seeds="$(test/p2p/ip.sh 1):46656"
-for i in `seq 2 $N`; do
+for i in $(seq 2 $N); do
 	seeds="$seeds,$(test/p2p/ip.sh $i):46656"
 done
-echo $seeds
+echo "$seeds"
diff --git a/test/p2p/test.sh b/test/p2p/test.sh
index 3e67dfbd5..6a5537b98 100644
--- a/test/p2p/test.sh
+++ b/test/p2p/test.sh
@@ -6,33 +6,33 @@ NETWORK_NAME=local_testnet
 N=4
 PROXY_APP=persistent_dummy
 
-cd $GOPATH/src/github.com/tendermint/tendermint
+cd "$GOPATH/src/github.com/tendermint/tendermint"
 
 # stop the existing testnet and remove local network
 set +e
-bash test/p2p/local_testnet_stop.sh $NETWORK_NAME $N
+bash test/p2p/local_testnet_stop.sh "$NETWORK_NAME" "$N"
 set -e
 
 SEEDS=$(bash test/p2p/seeds.sh $N)
 
 # start the testnet on a local network
 # NOTE we re-use the same network for all tests
-bash test/p2p/local_testnet_start.sh $DOCKER_IMAGE $NETWORK_NAME $N $PROXY_APP $SEEDS
+bash test/p2p/local_testnet_start.sh "$DOCKER_IMAGE" "$NETWORK_NAME" "$N" "$PROXY_APP" "$SEEDS"
 
 # test basic connectivity and consensus
 # start client container and check the num peers and height for all nodes
-bash test/p2p/client.sh $DOCKER_IMAGE $NETWORK_NAME basic "test/p2p/basic/test.sh $N"
+bash test/p2p/client.sh "$DOCKER_IMAGE" "$NETWORK_NAME" basic "test/p2p/basic/test.sh $N"
 
 # test atomic broadcast:
 # start client container and test sending a tx to each node
-bash test/p2p/client.sh $DOCKER_IMAGE $NETWORK_NAME ab "test/p2p/atomic_broadcast/test.sh $N"
+bash test/p2p/client.sh "$DOCKER_IMAGE" "$NETWORK_NAME" ab "test/p2p/atomic_broadcast/test.sh $N"
 
- test fast sync (from current state of network):
- for each node, kill it and readd via fast sync
-bash test/p2p/fast_sync/test.sh $DOCKER_IMAGE $NETWORK_NAME $N $PROXY_APP
+# test fast sync (from current state of network):
+# for each node, kill it and readd via fast sync
+bash test/p2p/fast_sync/test.sh "$DOCKER_IMAGE" "$NETWORK_NAME" "$N" "$PROXY_APP"
 
 # test killing all peers 3 times
-bash test/p2p/kill_all/test.sh $DOCKER_IMAGE $NETWORK_NAME $N 3
+bash test/p2p/kill_all/test.sh "$DOCKER_IMAGE" "$NETWORK_NAME" "$N" 3
 
 # test pex
-bash test/p2p/pex/test.sh $DOCKER_IMAGE $NETWORK_NAME $N $PROXY_APP
+bash test/p2p/pex/test.sh "$DOCKER_IMAGE" "$NETWORK_NAME" "$N" "$PROXY_APP"