diff --git a/src/rc/_usage.h b/src/rc/_usage.h
index 0882c22f..84b66b96 100644
--- a/src/rc/_usage.h
+++ b/src/rc/_usage.h
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@
 	"Disable color output",						      \
 	"Display software version",			              \
 	"Run verbosely",						      \
-	"Run quietly (Does not affect errors)"
+	"Run quietly"
 
 #define case_RC_COMMON_getopt_case_C  setenv ("EINFO_COLOR", "NO", 1);
 #define case_RC_COMMON_getopt_case_h  usage (EXIT_SUCCESS);
diff --git a/src/rc/start-stop-daemon.c b/src/rc/start-stop-daemon.c
index 5576d49d..4b9fcdd0 100644
--- a/src/rc/start-stop-daemon.c
+++ b/src/rc/start-stop-daemon.c
@@ -417,7 +417,7 @@ run_stop_schedule(const char *exec, const char *const *argv,
 	}
 
 	if (pidfile) {
-		pid = get_pid(pidfile, false);
+		pid = get_pid(pidfile, quiet);
 		if (pid == -1)
 			return 0;
 	}
@@ -436,6 +436,7 @@ run_stop_schedule(const char *exec, const char *const *argv,
 				if (tkilled == 0) {
 					if (progressed)
 						printf("\n");
+					if (! quiet)
 						eerror("%s: no matching processes found", applet);
 				}
 				return tkilled;
@@ -506,10 +507,12 @@ run_stop_schedule(const char *exec, const char *const *argv,
 
 	if (progressed)
 		printf("\n");
-	if (nrunning == 1)
-		eerror("%s: %d process refused to stop", applet, nrunning);
-	else
-		eerror("%s: %d process(es) refused to stop", applet, nrunning);
+	if (! quiet) {
+		if (nrunning == 1)
+			eerror("%s: %d process refused to stop", applet, nrunning);
+		else
+			eerror("%s: %d process(es) refused to stop", applet, nrunning);
+	}
 
 	return -nrunning;
 }
@@ -1289,7 +1292,7 @@ start_stop_daemon(int argc, char **argv)
 		/* We don't redirect stdin as some daemons may need it */
 		if (background || quiet || redirect_stdout)
 			dup2(stdout_fd, STDOUT_FILENO);
-		if (background || redirect_stderr)
+		if (background || quiet || redirect_stderr)
 			dup2(stderr_fd, STDERR_FILENO);
 
 		for (i = getdtablesize() - 1; i >= 3; --i)
@@ -1320,9 +1323,11 @@ start_stop_daemon(int argc, char **argv)
 				return -1;
 			}
 		} while (!WIFEXITED(i) && !WIFSIGNALED(i));
-		if (!WIFEXITED(i) || WEXITSTATUS(i) != 0)
-			eerrorx("%s: failed to start `%s'", applet, exec);
-
+		if (!WIFEXITED(i) || WEXITSTATUS(i) != 0) {
+			if (!quiet)
+				eerrorx("%s: failed to start `%s'", applet, exec);
+			exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
+		}
 		pid = spid;
 	}
 
@@ -1356,7 +1361,7 @@ start_stop_daemon(int argc, char **argv)
 				alive = true;
 		} else {
 			if (pidfile) {
-				pid = get_pid(pidfile, false);
+				pid = get_pid(pidfile, true);
 				if (pid == -1) {
 					eerrorx("%s: did not "
 					    "create a valid"