diff --git a/git-am.sh b/git-am.sh
index 543efd0ad3512d09081432c4590af7575f93dd1f..8b5712968ebcfe3f8fb5426e5104de2e7d2d3334 100755
--- a/git-am.sh
+++ b/git-am.sh
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ stop_here () {
 
 stop_here_user_resolve () {
     if [ -n "$resolvemsg" ]; then
-	    echo "$resolvemsg"
+	    printf '%s\n' "$resolvemsg"
 	    stop_here $1
     fi
     cmdline=$(basename $0)
@@ -146,7 +146,7 @@ do
 	git_apply_opt="$git_apply_opt $1"; shift ;;
 
 	--resolvemsg=*)
-	resolvemsg=$(echo "$1" | sed -e "s/^--resolvemsg=//"); shift ;;
+	resolvemsg=${1#--resolvemsg=}; shift ;;
 
 	--)
 	shift; break ;;
diff --git a/git-merge.sh b/git-merge.sh
index fa4589173f426d6172883c47479c52b8700cafa8..bf1fd4f06b42ca7c07d7a64fba7921c48d6fd72f 100755
--- a/git-merge.sh
+++ b/git-merge.sh
@@ -328,7 +328,7 @@ f,*)
 		then
 			echo "Wonderful."
 			result_commit=$(
-				echo "$merge_msg" |
+				printf '%s\n' "$merge_msg" |
 				git-commit-tree $result_tree -p HEAD -p "$1"
 			) || exit
 			finish "$result_commit" "In-index merge"
@@ -433,7 +433,7 @@ done
 if test '' != "$result_tree"
 then
     parents=$(git-show-branch --independent "$head" "$@" | sed -e 's/^/-p /')
-    result_commit=$(echo "$merge_msg" | git-commit-tree $result_tree $parents) || exit
+    result_commit=$(printf '%s\n' "$merge_msg" | git-commit-tree $result_tree $parents) || exit
     finish "$result_commit" "Merge made by $wt_strategy."
     dropsave
     exit 0
@@ -472,7 +472,7 @@ else
 	do
 		echo $remote
 	done >"$GIT_DIR/MERGE_HEAD"
-	echo "$merge_msg" >"$GIT_DIR/MERGE_MSG"
+	printf '%s\n' "$merge_msg" >"$GIT_DIR/MERGE_MSG"
 fi
 
 if test "$merge_was_ok" = t
diff --git a/git-tag.sh b/git-tag.sh
index 4a0a7b660780b7c377ce80ac49dc99cea3e8137d..6f0b7a72192bbeb7ca4693f40f80e2bd20d5eb03 100755
--- a/git-tag.sh
+++ b/git-tag.sh
@@ -126,7 +126,7 @@ if [ "$annotate" ]; then
           echo "#" ) > "$GIT_DIR"/TAG_EDITMSG
         ${VISUAL:-${EDITOR:-vi}} "$GIT_DIR"/TAG_EDITMSG || exit
     else
-        echo "$message" >"$GIT_DIR"/TAG_EDITMSG
+        printf '%s\n' "$message" >"$GIT_DIR"/TAG_EDITMSG
     fi
 
     grep -v '^#' <"$GIT_DIR"/TAG_EDITMSG |