static S unquote(S s) {
  if (s == null) null;
  if (startsWith(s, '[')) {
    int i = 1;
    while (i < s.length() && s.charAt(i) == '=') ++i;
    if (i < s.length() && s.charAt(i) == '[') {
      String m = s.substring(1, i);
      if (s.endsWith("]" + m + "]"))
        return s.substring(i+1, s.length()-i-1);
    }
  }
  
  if (s.length() > 1) {
    char c = s.charAt(0);
    if (c == '\"' || c == '\'') {
      int l = endsWith(s, c) ? s.length()-1 : s.length();
      StringBuilder sb = new StringBuilder(l-1);
  
      for (int i = 1; i < l; i++) {
        char ch = s.charAt(i);
        if (ch == '\\') {
          char nextChar = (i == l - 1) ? '\\' : s.charAt(i + 1);
          // Octal escape?
          if (nextChar >= '0' && nextChar <= '7') {
              String code = "" + nextChar;
              i++;
              if ((i < l - 1) && s.charAt(i + 1) >= '0'
                      && s.charAt(i + 1) <= '7') {
                  code += s.charAt(i + 1);
                  i++;
                  if ((i < l - 1) && s.charAt(i + 1) >= '0'
                          && s.charAt(i + 1) <= '7') {
                      code += s.charAt(i + 1);
                      i++;
                  }
              }
              sb.append((char) Integer.parseInt(code, 8));
              continue;
          }
          switch (nextChar) {
          case '\"': ch = '\"'; break;
          case '\\': ch = '\\'; break;
          case 'b': ch = '\b'; break;
          case 'f': ch = '\f'; break;
          case 'n': ch = '\n'; break;
          case 'r': ch = '\r'; break;
          case 't': ch = '\t'; break;
          case '\'': ch = '\''; break;
          // Hex Unicode: u????
          case 'u':
              if (i >= l - 5) {
                  ch = 'u';
                  break;
              }
              int code = Integer.parseInt(
                      "" + s.charAt(i + 2) + s.charAt(i + 3)
                         + s.charAt(i + 4) + s.charAt(i + 5), 16);
              sb.append(Character.toChars(code));
              i += 5;
              continue;
          default:
            ch = nextChar; // added by Stefan
          }
          i++;
        }
        sb.append(ch);
      }
      ret sb.toString();
    }
  }
    
  ret s; // not quoted - return original
}

Began life as a copy of #2000521