diff --git a/pkg/stores/sqlpartition/listprocessor/processor_test.go b/pkg/stores/sqlpartition/listprocessor/processor_test.go
index 0674f82b..374b09ac 100644
--- a/pkg/stores/sqlpartition/listprocessor/processor_test.go
+++ b/pkg/stores/sqlpartition/listprocessor/processor_test.go
@@ -265,7 +265,23 @@ func TestParseQuery(t *testing.T) {
 				URL: &url.URL{RawQuery: `filter=a1="c1"`},
 			},
 		},
-		errExpected: true,
+		expectedLO: informer.ListOptions{
+			ChunkSize: defaultLimit,
+			Filters: []informer.OrFilter{
+				{
+					Filters: []informer.Filter{
+						{
+							Field:   []string{"a1"},
+							Matches: []string{"c1"},
+							Op:      informer.Eq,
+						},
+					},
+				},
+			},
+			Pagination: informer.Pagination{
+				Page: 1,
+			},
+		},
 	})
 	tests = append(tests, testCase{
 		description: "ParseQuery() with a labels filter param should create a labels-specific filter.",
diff --git a/pkg/stores/sqlpartition/queryparser/selector.go b/pkg/stores/sqlpartition/queryparser/selector.go
index 5d67f738..e8c4e29a 100644
--- a/pkg/stores/sqlpartition/queryparser/selector.go
+++ b/pkg/stores/sqlpartition/queryparser/selector.go
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ https://github.com/kubernetes/apimachinery/blob/90df4d1d2d40ea9b3a522bec6e357723
 /**
 Main changes:
 
-1. The upstream `selector.go` file does parsing and applying to the objects being test.
+1. The upstream `selector.go` file does parsing and applying to the objects being tested.
 We only care about the parser, so the selection part is dropped.
 
 2. I dropped label value validation in the parser
@@ -469,6 +469,31 @@ IdentifierLoop:
 	return IdentifierToken, s // otherwise is an identifier
 }
 
+func (l *Lexer) scanQuotedString(delim byte) (tok Token, lit string) {
+	var buffer []byte
+	inEscape := false
+StringLoop:
+	for {
+		switch ch := l.read(); {
+		case ch == 0:
+			s := string(buffer)
+			if len(s) > 12 {
+				s = s[0:10] + "..."
+			}
+			return ErrorToken, fmt.Sprintf("unterminated string starting with '%s'", s)
+		case inEscape:
+			buffer = append(buffer, ch)
+			inEscape = false
+		case ch == delim:
+			// Don't include the end-delimiter
+			break StringLoop
+		default:
+			buffer = append(buffer, ch)
+		}
+	}
+	return QuotedStringToken, string(buffer)
+}
+
 // scanSpecialSymbol scans string starting with special symbol.
 // special symbol identify non literal operators. "!=", "==", "=", "!~"
 func (l *Lexer) scanSpecialSymbol() (Token, string) {
@@ -521,6 +546,8 @@ func (l *Lexer) Lex() (Token, string) {
 	case isIdentifierStartChar(ch):
 		l.unread()
 		return l.scanIDOrKeyword()
+	case ch == '"' || ch == '\'':
+		return l.scanQuotedString(ch)
 	default:
 		return ErrorToken, fmt.Sprintf("unexpected character '%c'", ch)
 	}
diff --git a/pkg/stores/sqlpartition/queryparser/selector_test.go b/pkg/stores/sqlpartition/queryparser/selector_test.go
index f11b3c1a..1f974411 100644
--- a/pkg/stores/sqlpartition/queryparser/selector_test.go
+++ b/pkg/stores/sqlpartition/queryparser/selector_test.go
@@ -54,6 +54,9 @@ func TestSelectorParse(t *testing.T) {
 		"metadata.labels[im.here]",
 		"!metadata.labels[im.not.here]",
 		"metadata.labels[k8s.io/meta-stuff] ~ has-dashes_underscores.dots.only",
+		`metadata.labels[k8s.io/meta-stuff] ~ "m!a@t#c$h%e^v&e*r(y)t-_i=n+g)t{o[$]c}o]m|m\\a:;'<.>"`,
+		`x="double quotes ok"`,
+		`x='single quotes ok'`,
 	}
 	testBadStrings := []string{
 		"!no-label-absence-test",
@@ -75,8 +78,6 @@ func TestSelectorParse(t *testing.T) {
 		"metadata.labels-im.here",
 		"metadata.labels[missing/close-bracket",
 		"!metadata.labels(im.not.here)",
-		`x="no double quotes allowed"`,
-		`x='no single quotes allowed'`,
 	}
 	for _, test := range testGoodStrings {
 		_, err := Parse(test)
@@ -110,11 +111,13 @@ func TestLexer(t *testing.T) {
 		{"!=", NotEqualsToken},
 		{"(", OpenParToken},
 		{")", ClosedParToken},
-		{`'sq string''`, ErrorToken},
-		{`"dq string"`, ErrorToken},
+		{`'sq string'`, QuotedStringToken},
+		{`"dq string"`, QuotedStringToken},
 		{"~", PartialEqualsToken},
 		{"!~", NotPartialEqualsToken},
 		{"||", ErrorToken},
+		{`"double-quoted string"`, QuotedStringToken},
+		{`'single-quoted string'`, QuotedStringToken},
 	}
 	for _, v := range testcases {
 		l := &Lexer{s: v.s, pos: 0}
@@ -122,8 +125,14 @@ func TestLexer(t *testing.T) {
 		if token != v.t {
 			t.Errorf("Got %d it should be %d for '%s'", token, v.t, v.s)
 		}
-		if v.t != ErrorToken && lit != v.s {
-			t.Errorf("Got '%s' it should be '%s'", lit, v.s)
+		if v.t != ErrorToken {
+			exp := v.s
+			if v.t == QuotedStringToken {
+				exp = exp[1 : len(exp)-1]
+			}
+			if lit != exp {
+				t.Errorf("Got '%s' it should be '%s'", lit, exp)
+			}
 		}
 	}
 }
@@ -153,6 +162,8 @@ func TestLexerSequence(t *testing.T) {
 		{"key<1", []Token{IdentifierToken, LessThanToken, IdentifierToken}},
 		{"key gt 3", []Token{IdentifierToken, IdentifierToken, IdentifierToken}},
 		{"key lt 4", []Token{IdentifierToken, IdentifierToken, IdentifierToken}},
+		{`key = 'sqs'`, []Token{IdentifierToken, EqualsToken, QuotedStringToken}},
+		{`key = "dqs"`, []Token{IdentifierToken, EqualsToken, QuotedStringToken}},
 		{"key=value", []Token{IdentifierToken, EqualsToken, IdentifierToken}},
 		{"key == value", []Token{IdentifierToken, DoubleEqualsToken, IdentifierToken}},
 		{"key ~ value", []Token{IdentifierToken, PartialEqualsToken, IdentifierToken}},
@@ -184,6 +195,7 @@ func TestLexerSequence(t *testing.T) {
 		}
 	}
 }
+
 func TestParserLookahead(t *testing.T) {
 	testcases := []struct {
 		s string
@@ -200,9 +212,9 @@ func TestParserLookahead(t *testing.T) {
 		{"== != (), = notin", []Token{DoubleEqualsToken, NotEqualsToken, OpenParToken, ClosedParToken, CommaToken, EqualsToken, NotInToken, EndOfStringToken}},
 		{"key>2", []Token{IdentifierToken, GreaterThanToken, IdentifierToken, EndOfStringToken}},
 		{"key<1", []Token{IdentifierToken, LessThanToken, IdentifierToken, EndOfStringToken}},
-		{"key gt 3", []Token{IdentifierToken, GreaterThanToken, IdentifierToken, EndOfStringToken}},
-		{"key lt 4", []Token{IdentifierToken, LessThanToken, IdentifierToken, EndOfStringToken}},
-		{`key = multi-word-string`, []Token{IdentifierToken, EqualsToken, QuotedStringToken, EndOfStringToken}},
+		{"key gt 3", []Token{IdentifierToken, IdentifierToken, IdentifierToken, EndOfStringToken}},
+		{"key lt 4", []Token{IdentifierToken, IdentifierToken, IdentifierToken, EndOfStringToken}},
+		{`key = "multi-word-string"`, []Token{IdentifierToken, EqualsToken, QuotedStringToken, EndOfStringToken}},
 	}
 	for _, v := range testcases {
 		p := &Parser{l: &Lexer{s: v.s, pos: 0}, position: 0}
@@ -210,15 +222,16 @@ func TestParserLookahead(t *testing.T) {
 		if len(p.scannedItems) != len(v.t) {
 			t.Errorf("Expected %d items for test %s, found %d", len(v.t), v.s, len(p.scannedItems))
 		}
-		for {
-			token, lit := p.lookahead(KeyAndOperator)
-
-			token2, lit2 := p.consume(KeyAndOperator)
+		for i, entry := range v.t {
+			token, _ := p.consume(KeyAndOperator)
 			if token == EndOfStringToken {
+				if i != len(v.t)-1 {
+					t.Errorf("Expected end of string token at position %d for test '%s', but length is %d", i, v.s, len(v.t))
+				}
 				break
 			}
-			if token != token2 || lit != lit2 {
-				t.Errorf("Bad values")
+			if token != entry {
+				t.Errorf("Expected token %v at position %d for test '%s', but got %v", entry, i, v.s, token)
 			}
 		}
 	}