diff --git a/sphinx/util/__init__.py b/sphinx/util/__init__.py
index d86882259..295848e40 100644
--- a/sphinx/util/__init__.py
+++ b/sphinx/util/__init__.py
@@ -34,6 +34,7 @@ from sphinx.util import logging
 from sphinx.util.console import strip_colors, colorize, bold, term_width_line  # type: ignore
 from sphinx.util.fileutil import copy_asset_file
 from sphinx.util.osutil import fs_encoding
+from sphinx.util import smartypants  # noqa
 
 # import other utilities; partly for backwards compatibility, so don't
 # prune unused ones indiscriminately
diff --git a/sphinx/util/smartypants.py b/sphinx/util/smartypants.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..3932e9386
--- /dev/null
+++ b/sphinx/util/smartypants.py
@@ -0,0 +1,143 @@
+# -*- coding: utf-8 -*-
+"""
+    sphinx.util.smartypants
+    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+    This code is copied from docutils’ docutils/utils/smartquotes.py
+    version 1.7.1 (from 2017-03-19). It should be removed in the future.
+
+    :copyright: © 2010 Günter Milde,
+                original `SmartyPants`_: © 2003 John Gruber
+                smartypants.py:          © 2004, 2007 Chad Miller
+    :license: Released under the terms of the `2-Clause BSD license`_, in short:
+
+       Copying and distribution of this file, with or without modification,
+       are permitted in any medium without royalty provided the copyright
+       notices and this notice are preserved.
+       This file is offered as-is, without any warranty.
+
+    .. _SmartyPants: http://daringfireball.net/projects/smartypants/
+    .. _2-Clause BSD license: http://www.spdx.org/licenses/BSD-2-Clause
+
+    See the LICENSE file and the original docutils code for details.
+"""
+from __future__ import absolute_import, unicode_literals
+
+import re
+from docutils.utils import smartquotes
+from sphinx.util.docutils import __version_info__ as docutils_version
+
+
+def educateQuotes(text, language='en'):
+    # type: (unicode, unicode) -> unicode
+    """
+    Parameter:  - text string (unicode or bytes).
+                - language (`BCP 47` language tag.)
+    Returns:    The `text`, with "educated" curly quote characters.
+
+    Example input:  "Isn't this fun?"
+    Example output: “Isn’t this fun?“;
+    """
+
+    smart = smartquotes.smartchars(language)
+    smart.apostrophe = u'’'
+
+    # oldtext = text
+    punct_class = r"""[!"#\$\%'()*+,-.\/:;<=>?\@\[\\\]\^_`{|}~]"""
+
+    # Special case if the very first character is a quote
+    # followed by punctuation at a non-word-break.
+    # Close the quotes by brute force:
+    text = re.sub(r"""^'(?=%s\\B)""" % (punct_class,), smart.csquote, text)
+    text = re.sub(r"""^"(?=%s\\B)""" % (punct_class,), smart.cpquote, text)
+
+    # Special case for double sets of quotes, e.g.:
+    #   <p>He said, "'Quoted' words in a larger quote."</p>
+    text = re.sub(r""""'(?=\w)""", smart.opquote + smart.osquote, text)
+    text = re.sub(r"""'"(?=\w)""", smart.osquote + smart.opquote, text)
+
+    # Special case for decade abbreviations (the '80s):
+    text = re.sub(r"""\b'(?=\d{2}s)""", smart.csquote, text)
+
+    close_class = r"""[^\ \t\r\n\[\{\(\-]"""
+    dec_dashes = r"""&#8211;|&#8212;"""
+
+    # Get most opening single quotes:
+    opening_single_quotes_regex = re.compile(r"""
+                    (
+                            \s          |   # a whitespace char, or
+                            &nbsp;      |   # a non-breaking space entity, or
+                            --          |   # dashes, or
+                            &[mn]dash;  |   # named dash entities
+                            %s          |   # or decimal entities
+                            &\#x201[34];    # or hex
+                    )
+                    '                 # the quote
+                    (?=\w)            # followed by a word character
+                    """ % (dec_dashes,), re.VERBOSE | re.UNICODE)
+    text = opening_single_quotes_regex.sub(r'\1' + smart.osquote, text)
+
+    # In many locales, single closing quotes are different from apostrophe:
+    if smart.csquote != smart.apostrophe:
+        apostrophe_regex = re.compile(r"(?<=(\w|\d))'(?=\w)", re.UNICODE)
+        text = apostrophe_regex.sub(smart.apostrophe, text)
+
+    closing_single_quotes_regex = re.compile(r"""
+                    (%s)
+                    '
+                    (?!\s  |       # whitespace
+                       s\b |
+                        \d         # digits   ('80s)
+                    )
+                    """ % (close_class,), re.VERBOSE | re.UNICODE)
+    text = closing_single_quotes_regex.sub(r'\1' + smart.csquote, text)
+
+    closing_single_quotes_regex = re.compile(r"""
+                    (%s)
+                    '
+                    (\s | s\b)
+                    """ % (close_class,), re.VERBOSE | re.UNICODE)
+    text = closing_single_quotes_regex.sub(r'\1%s\2' % smart.csquote, text)
+
+    # Any remaining single quotes should be opening ones:
+    text = re.sub(r"""'""", smart.osquote, text)
+
+    # Get most opening double quotes:
+    opening_double_quotes_regex = re.compile(r"""
+                    (
+                            \s          |   # a whitespace char, or
+                            &nbsp;      |   # a non-breaking space entity, or
+                            --          |   # dashes, or
+                            &[mn]dash;  |   # named dash entities
+                            %s          |   # or decimal entities
+                            &\#x201[34];    # or hex
+                    )
+                    "                 # the quote
+                    (?=\w)            # followed by a word character
+                    """ % (dec_dashes,), re.VERBOSE)
+    text = opening_double_quotes_regex.sub(r'\1' + smart.opquote, text)
+
+    # Double closing quotes:
+    closing_double_quotes_regex = re.compile(r"""
+                    #(%s)?   # character that indicates the quote should be closing
+                    "
+                    (?=\s)
+                    """ % (close_class,), re.VERBOSE)
+    text = closing_double_quotes_regex.sub(smart.cpquote, text)
+
+    closing_double_quotes_regex = re.compile(r"""
+                    (%s)   # character that indicates the quote should be closing
+                    "
+                    """ % (close_class,), re.VERBOSE)
+    text = closing_double_quotes_regex.sub(r'\1' + smart.cpquote, text)
+
+    # Any remaining quotes should be opening ones.
+    text = re.sub(r'"', smart.opquote, text)
+
+    return text
+
+
+if docutils_version < (0, 13, 2):
+    # Monkey patch the old docutils versions to fix the issue mentioned
+    # at https://sourceforge.net/p/docutils/bugs/313/
+    smartquotes.educateQuotes = educateQuotes