diff --git a/rel/vm.args b/rel/vm.args
index 9a36ab94..c16392ae 100644
--- a/rel/vm.args
+++ b/rel/vm.args
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@
 -setcookie <%= release.profile.cookie %>
 
 ## Path for Mnesia
--mnesia dir '${MNESIA_DIR}'
+-mnesia dir '"${MNESIA_DIR}"'
 
 ## Heartbeat management; auto-restarts VM if it dies or becomes unresponsive
 ## (Disabled by default..use with caution!)