diff --git a/changelogs/fragments/ssh_quote_cp.yml b/changelogs/fragments/ssh_quote_cp.yml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..eef867606ee
--- /dev/null
+++ b/changelogs/fragments/ssh_quote_cp.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+bugfixes:
+  - ssh connection - properly quote controlpersist path given by user to avoid issues with spaces and other characters
diff --git a/lib/ansible/plugins/connection/ssh.py b/lib/ansible/plugins/connection/ssh.py
index 23a4ac93060..b563864d8e8 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/plugins/connection/ssh.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/plugins/connection/ssh.py
@@ -340,7 +340,6 @@ import subprocess
 import time
 
 from functools import wraps
-from ansible import constants as C
 from ansible.errors import (
     AnsibleAuthenticationFailure,
     AnsibleConnectionFailure,
@@ -740,7 +739,7 @@ class Connection(ConnectionBase):
                         self.port,
                         self.user
                     )
-                b_args = (b"-o", b"ControlPath=" + to_bytes(self.control_path % dict(directory=cpdir), errors='surrogate_or_strict'))
+                b_args = (b"-o", b'ControlPath="%s"' % to_bytes(self.control_path % dict(directory=cpdir), errors='surrogate_or_strict'))
                 self._add_args(b_command, b_args, u"found only ControlPersist; added ControlPath")
 
         # Finally, we add any caller-supplied extras.
diff --git a/test/integration/targets/connection_ssh/runme.sh b/test/integration/targets/connection_ssh/runme.sh
index 7e5953edac8..b94177ba2c6 100755
--- a/test/integration/targets/connection_ssh/runme.sh
+++ b/test/integration/targets/connection_ssh/runme.sh
@@ -68,3 +68,7 @@ ANSIBLE_SSH_TRANSFER_METHOD=piped ./posix.sh "$@"
 
 # test config defaults override
 ansible-playbook check_ssh_defaults.yml "$@" -i test_connection.inventory
+
+# ensure we handle cp with spaces correctly, otherwise would fail with
+# `"Failed to connect to the host via ssh: command-line line 0: keyword controlpath extra arguments at end of line"`
+ANSIBLE_SSH_CONTROL_PATH='/tmp/ssh cp with spaces' ansible -m ping all -e ansible_connection=ssh -i test_connection.inventory "$@"