diff --git a/sphinx/templates/quickstart/conf.py_t b/sphinx/templates/quickstart/conf.py_t
index 7529a1865..524f1671d 100644
--- a/sphinx/templates/quickstart/conf.py_t
+++ b/sphinx/templates/quickstart/conf.py_t
@@ -30,10 +30,16 @@ project = {{ project | repr }}
 copyright = {{ copyright | repr }}
 author = {{ author | repr }}
 
+{%- if version %}
+
 # The short X.Y version
 version = {{ version | repr }}
+{%- endif %}
+{%- if release %}
+
 # The full version, including alpha/beta/rc tags
 release = {{ release | repr }}
+{%- endif %}
 
 
 # -- General configuration ---------------------------------------------------