diff --git a/data.ts b/data.ts
index 930e8ba..6765c03 100644
--- a/data.ts
+++ b/data.ts
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ import type {
   PSList,
   PSMap,
   PSNumber,
+  PSQuote,
   PSRef,
   PSString,
   PSValue,
@@ -68,3 +69,7 @@ export function fn(
     },
   };
 }
+
+export function quote(value: PSValue): PSQuote {
+  return { type: "quote", value };
+}
diff --git a/evaluate.ts b/evaluate.ts
index 16eeac2..9fdc199 100644
--- a/evaluate.ts
+++ b/evaluate.ts
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ import type {
   PSLiteral,
   PSMap,
   PSMapKey,
+  PSRef,
   PSTemplate,
   PSValue,
 } from "./types.ts";
@@ -59,7 +60,6 @@ export function createYSEnv(parent = global): PSEnv {
       let env = createYSEnv(scope);
 
       let value = yield* bind(recognize($value), scope, []);
-
       if (value.type === "ref") {
         return value;
       } else if (value.type === "template") {
@@ -201,6 +201,47 @@ function isPSValue(value: unknown): value is PSValue {
   }
 }
 
+function view(ref: PSRef, value: PSValue): PSValue {
+  let { key, path } = ref;
+  if (value.type === "external" && value.view) {
+    let deref = value.view(path, value.value);
+    if (!deref) {
+      throw new ReferenceError(
+        `'${path.join(".")}' not found at ${key}`,
+      );
+    }
+    if (!isPSValue(deref)) {
+      throw new TypeError(
+        `external reference '${value.value}' did not resolve to a platformscript value`,
+      );
+    }
+    return deref;
+  } else if (value.type === "map") {
+    return path.reduce((current, segment) => {
+      if (current.type === "map") {
+        let next = lookup(segment, current);
+        if (next.type === "nothing") {
+          throw new ReferenceError(
+            `no such key '${segment}' in ${value.value}`,
+          );
+        } else {
+          return next.value;
+        }
+      } else {
+        throw new TypeError(
+          `cannot de-reference key ${segment} from '${current.type}'`,
+        );
+      }
+    }, value as PSValue);
+  } else if (value.type === "quote") {
+    return data.quote(view(ref, value.value));
+  } else {
+    throw new TypeError(
+      `${value.type} '$${key}' does not support path-like references`,
+    );
+  }
+}
+
 function* bind(
   value: PSValue,
   scope: PSMap,
@@ -218,41 +259,7 @@ function* bind(
       throw new ReferenceError(`'${value.key}' not defined`);
     } else {
       if (path.length > 0) {
-        if (result.value.type === "external" && result.value.view) {
-          let deref = result.value.view(path, result.value.value);
-          if (!deref) {
-            throw new ReferenceError(
-              `'${path.join(".")}' not found at ${key}`,
-            );
-          }
-          if (!isPSValue(deref)) {
-            throw new TypeError(
-              `external reference '${value.value}' did not resolve to a platformscript value`,
-            );
-          }
-          return deref;
-        } else if (result.value.type === "map") {
-          return path.reduce((current, segment) => {
-            if (current.type === "map") {
-              let next = lookup(segment, current);
-              if (next.type === "nothing") {
-                throw new ReferenceError(
-                  `no such key '${segment}' in ${value.value}`,
-                );
-              } else {
-                return next.value;
-              }
-            } else {
-              throw new TypeError(
-                `cannot de-reference key ${segment} from '${current.type}'`,
-              );
-            }
-          }, result.value as PSValue);
-        } else {
-          throw new TypeError(
-            `${result.value.type} '$${key}' does not support path-like references`,
-          );
-        }
+        return view(value, result.value);
       } else {
         return result.value;
       }
diff --git a/load.ts b/load.ts
index caafee6..96ac4e7 100644
--- a/load.ts
+++ b/load.ts
@@ -11,22 +11,24 @@ export interface LoadOptions {
   location: string | URL;
   base?: string;
   env?: PSEnv;
+  quote?: boolean;
 }
 
 export function* load(options: LoadOptions): Operation<PSModule> {
-  let { location, base, env } = options;
+  let { location, base, env, quote } = options;
   let url = typeof location === "string" ? new URL(location, base) : location;
 
   let content = yield* read(url);
   let source = parse(content);
 
-  return yield* moduleEval({ source, location: url, env });
+  return yield* moduleEval({ source, location: url, env, quote });
 }
 
 export interface ModuleEvalOptions {
   location: string | URL;
   source: PSValue;
   env?: PSEnv;
+  quote?: boolean;
 }
 
 export function* moduleEval(options: ModuleEvalOptions): Operation<PSModule> {
@@ -40,7 +42,7 @@ export function* moduleEval(options: ModuleEvalOptions): Operation<PSModule> {
     imports: [],
   };
 
-  if (source.type !== "map") {
+  if (source.type !== "map" || options.quote) {
     return mod;
   }
 
@@ -61,16 +63,36 @@ export function* moduleEval(options: ModuleEvalOptions): Operation<PSModule> {
           `imported symbols should be a string, but was ${names.type}`,
         );
       }
-      if (loc.type !== "string") {
+      let location: string;
+      let quote = false;
+      if (loc.type === "string") {
+        location = loc.value;
+      } else if (loc.type === "map") {
+        let l = lookup("location", loc);
+        if (l.type === "nothing") {
+          throw new Error(
+            `If import specifier is a map, it must have a 'location'`,
+          );
+        } else if (l.value.type !== "string") {
+          throw new Error(
+            `'location' attribute of import specifier must be a string, but was '${l.value.type}'`,
+          );
+        } else {
+          location = l.value.value;
+        }
+        let quoted = lookup("quote", loc);
+        quote = quoted.type === "just" && quoted.value.value === true;
+      } else {
         throw new Error(
-          `import location should be a url string, but was ${loc.type}`,
+          `import specifier must be either a string or a map, but was '${loc.type}'`,
         );
       }
       let bindings = matchBindings(names.value);
       let dep = yield* load({
-        location: loc.value,
+        location,
         base: url.toString(),
         env,
+        quote,
       });
 
       mod.imports.push({
@@ -82,7 +104,7 @@ export function* moduleEval(options: ModuleEvalOptions): Operation<PSModule> {
         let name = binding.alias ?? binding.name;
         let value;
         if (binding.all) {
-          value = dep.value;
+          value = quote ? data.quote(dep.value) : dep.value;
         } else if (dep.value.type !== "map") {
           throw new Error(
             `tried to import a name from ${dep.url}, but it is not a 'map'. It is a ${dep.value.type}`,
@@ -94,7 +116,7 @@ export function* moduleEval(options: ModuleEvalOptions): Operation<PSModule> {
               `module ${dep.url} does not have a member named '${binding.name}'`,
             );
           } else {
-            value = result.value;
+            value = quote ? data.quote(result.value) : result.value;
           }
         }
         scope.value.set(data.string(name), value);
@@ -112,7 +134,7 @@ export function* moduleEval(options: ModuleEvalOptions): Operation<PSModule> {
     for (let [key, value] of expanded.value.entries()) {
       let evaluated = yield* env.eval(value, scope);
       scope.value.set(key, evaluated);
-      mod.value.value.set(key, yield* env.eval(value, scope));
+      mod.value.value.set(key, evaluated);
     }
   }
 
diff --git a/print.ts b/print.ts
index ed5e057..d59a03f 100644
--- a/print.ts
+++ b/print.ts
@@ -53,6 +53,8 @@ function toYAML(value: PSValue): yaml.Node {
       return toYAML(value.source);
     case "external":
       return new yaml.Scalar("<[external]>");
+    case "quote":
+      return toYAML(value.value);
     default:
       throw new Error(`FATAL: non exhaustive print() match.`);
   }
diff --git a/test/module.test.ts b/test/module.test.ts
index 2d9ca08..c48299b 100644
--- a/test/module.test.ts
+++ b/test/module.test.ts
@@ -101,8 +101,56 @@ main: $myfive
       expect(lookup$("main", mod.value)).toEqual(number(5));
     });
   });
+
+  it("can import a module manually via location", async () => {
+    let mod = await runmod(`
+$import:
+  five:
+    location: nodeps.yaml
+main: $five
+`);
+
+    expect(lookup$("main", mod.value)).toEqual(number(5));
+  });
+
+  it("can import an module as quoted platformscript", async () => {
+    let mod = await runmod(`
+$import:
+  nodeps<<:
+    location: nodeps.yaml
+    quote: true
+self(x): $x
+id: { $self: $nodeps.id }
+`);
+    let id = lookup$("id", mod.value);
+    expect(id.type).toEqual("quote");
+    expect(lookup$("(x)=>", id.value)).toEqual(string("$x"));
+  });
+
+  it("can import a single value as quoted platformscript", async () => {
+    let mod = await runmod(`
+$import:
+  id:
+    location: nodeps.yaml
+    quote: true
+id: $id
+`);
+    let id = lookup$("id", mod.value);
+    expect(id.type).toEqual("quote");
+    expect(lookup$("(x)=>", id.value)).toEqual(string("$x"));
+  });
 });
 
+function runmod(modstring: string): Task<PSModule> {
+  let source = parse(modstring);
+  return run(() =>
+    moduleEval({
+      source,
+      location: new URL(`modules/virtual-module.yaml`, import.meta.url),
+    })
+  );
+}
+
 function loadmod(url: string): Task<PSModule> {
   return run(() =>
     load({
diff --git a/types.ts b/types.ts
index 881c8ca..bdab301 100644
--- a/types.ts
+++ b/types.ts
@@ -30,7 +30,8 @@ export type PSValue =
   | PSMap
   | PSFn
   | PSFnCall
-  | PSExternal;
+  | PSExternal
+  | PSQuote;
 
 export type PSMapKey =
   | PSNumber
@@ -89,6 +90,11 @@ export interface PSExternal {
   view?(path: string[], value: any): PSValue | void;
 }
 
+export interface PSQuote {
+  type: "quote";
+  value: PSValue;
+}
+
 export interface PSFn {
   type: "fn";
   param: { name: string };