diff --git a/docxtpl/__init__.py b/docxtpl/__init__.py
index c20bdc1..287fcd0 100644
--- a/docxtpl/__init__.py
+++ b/docxtpl/__init__.py
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ from docx.opc.constants import RELATIONSHIP_TYPE as REL_TYPE
 from jinja2 import Template
 from jinja2.exceptions import TemplateError
 try:
-    from html import escape
+    from html import escape, unescape
 except ImportError:
     # cgi.escape is deprecated in python 3.7
     from cgi import escape
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ import six
 import binascii
 import os
 import zipfile
+import sys
 
 NEWLINE_XML = '</w:t><w:br/><w:t xml:space="preserve">'
 NEWPARAGRAPH_XML = '</w:t></w:r></w:p><w:p><w:r><w:t xml:space="preserve">'
@@ -169,7 +170,43 @@ class DocxTemplate(object):
     def map_headers_footers_xml(self, relKey, xml):
         self.docx._part._rels[relKey]._target._blob = xml
 
-    def render(self,context,jinja_env=None):
+    @staticmethod
+    def escape_values(context):
+        """Escape strings for an XML Word document
+        which may contain <, >, &, ', and ".
+        """
+        def escape_recursively(d):
+            """Escape string values of the passed :dict: `d` in-place
+            including nested dictionaries.
+            """
+            nonlocal hash_values
+
+            for k, v in d.items():
+                if isinstance(v, dict):
+                    hash_value = id(v)
+                    if hash_value not in hash_values:
+                        hash_values.add(hash_value)
+                        escape_recursively(v)
+                else:
+                    # Avoid dict, Listing, InlineImage, RichText, etc. classes
+                    #  by comparing v to str. Do not use try-except.
+                    if isinstance(v, str):
+                        # Unescape at first to avoid secondary escaping
+                        d[k] = escape(unescape(v))
+
+        # Avoid RecursionError (if back edges, i.e. cycles, exist)
+        # by using a set of hash values of iterated dictionaries.
+        hash_values = {id(context), }
+
+        escape_recursively(context)
+
+    def render(self, context, jinja_env=None):
+        if sys.version_info >= (3, 0):
+            self.escape_values(context)
+        else:
+            # Sorry folk, use awesome Python3 such as 3.6
+            pass
+
         # Body
         xml_src = self.build_xml(context,jinja_env)
 
diff --git a/tests/escape_auto.py b/tests/escape_auto.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f38c3ed
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/escape_auto.py
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+from docxtpl import *
+
+tpl = DocxTemplate("test_files/escape_tpl_auto.docx")
+
+context = {'myvar': R('"less than" must be escaped : <, this can be done with RichText() or R()'),
+           'myescvar':'It can be escaped with a "|e" jinja filter in the template too : < ',
+           'nlnp' : R('Here is a multiple\nlines\nstring\aand some\aother\aparagraphs\aNOTE: the current character styling is removed'),
+           'mylisting': Listing('the listing\nwith\nsome\nlines\nand special chars : <>&'),
+           'autoescape': """These string should be auto escaped for an XML Word document which may contain <, >, &, ", and '."""
+           }
+
+tpl.render(context)
+tpl.save("test_files/escape_auto.docx")
diff --git a/tests/test_files/escape_auto.docx b/tests/test_files/escape_auto.docx
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..634c112
Binary files /dev/null and b/tests/test_files/escape_auto.docx differ
diff --git a/tests/test_files/escape_tpl_auto.docx b/tests/test_files/escape_tpl_auto.docx
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c6f7a6c
Binary files /dev/null and b/tests/test_files/escape_tpl_auto.docx differ