diff --git a/include/linux/printk.h b/include/linux/printk.h
index 6d7e800affd8..18602bb3eca8 100644
--- a/include/linux/printk.h
+++ b/include/linux/printk.h
@@ -50,15 +50,15 @@ static inline const char *printk_skip_headers(const char *buffer)
 /* We show everything that is MORE important than this.. */
 #define CONSOLE_LOGLEVEL_SILENT  0 /* Mum's the word */
 #define CONSOLE_LOGLEVEL_MIN	 1 /* Minimum loglevel we let people use */
-#define CONSOLE_LOGLEVEL_QUIET	 4 /* Shhh ..., when booted with "quiet" */
 #define CONSOLE_LOGLEVEL_DEBUG	10 /* issue debug messages */
 #define CONSOLE_LOGLEVEL_MOTORMOUTH 15	/* You can't shut this one up */
 
 /*
- * Default used to be hard-coded at 7, we're now allowing it to be set from
- * kernel config.
+ * Default used to be hard-coded at 7, quiet used to be hardcoded at 4,
+ * we're now allowing both to be set from kernel config.
  */
 #define CONSOLE_LOGLEVEL_DEFAULT CONFIG_CONSOLE_LOGLEVEL_DEFAULT
+#define CONSOLE_LOGLEVEL_QUIET	 CONFIG_CONSOLE_LOGLEVEL_QUIET
 
 extern int console_printk[];
 
diff --git a/lib/Kconfig.debug b/lib/Kconfig.debug
index 76555479ae36..a7ef03009e9e 100644
--- a/lib/Kconfig.debug
+++ b/lib/Kconfig.debug
@@ -30,6 +30,17 @@ config CONSOLE_LOGLEVEL_DEFAULT
 	  usage in the kernel. That is controlled by the MESSAGE_LOGLEVEL_DEFAULT
 	  option.
 
+config CONSOLE_LOGLEVEL_QUIET
+	int "quiet console loglevel (1-15)"
+	range 1 15
+	default "4"
+	help
+	  loglevel to use when "quiet" is passed on the kernel commandline.
+
+	  When "quiet" is passed on the kernel commandline this loglevel
+	  will be used as the loglevel. IOW passing "quiet" will be the
+	  equivalent of passing "loglevel=<CONSOLE_LOGLEVEL_QUIET>"
+
 config MESSAGE_LOGLEVEL_DEFAULT
 	int "Default message log level (1-7)"
 	range 1 7