diff --git a/docsite/rst/playbooks_loops.rst b/docsite/rst/playbooks_loops.rst
index 5d88da5af8d..e329d7650de 100644
--- a/docsite/rst/playbooks_loops.rst
+++ b/docsite/rst/playbooks_loops.rst
@@ -204,7 +204,7 @@ It might happen like so::
 
     - authorized_key: "user={{ item.0.name }} key='{{ lookup('file', item.1) }}'"
       with_subelements:
-         - users
+         - "{{ users }}"
          - authorized
 
 Given the mysql hosts and privs subkey lists, you can also iterate over a list in a nested subkey::
@@ -212,7 +212,7 @@ Given the mysql hosts and privs subkey lists, you can also iterate over a list i
     - name: Setup MySQL users
       mysql_user: name={{ item.0.name }} password={{ item.0.mysql.password }} host={{ item.1 }} priv={{ item.0.mysql.privs | join('/') }}
       with_subelements:
-        - users
+        - "{{ users }}"
         - mysql.hosts
 
 Subelements walks a list of hashes (aka dictionaries) and then traverses a list with a given (nested sub-)key inside of those
diff --git a/samples/with_subelements.yml b/samples/with_subelements.yml
index 95d0dda67c6..0037f4a6311 100644
--- a/samples/with_subelements.yml
+++ b/samples/with_subelements.yml
@@ -14,5 +14,5 @@
   tasks:
   - debug: msg="user={{ item.0.name }} key='{{ item.1 }}'"
     with_subelements:
-    - users
+    - "{{ users }}"
     - authorized