diff --git a/src/backend/utils/misc/postgresql.conf.sample b/src/backend/utils/misc/postgresql.conf.sample
index e48c066a5b..133dd3da7d 100644
--- a/src/backend/utils/misc/postgresql.conf.sample
+++ b/src/backend/utils/misc/postgresql.conf.sample
@@ -726,7 +726,7 @@
 					# encoding
 
 # These settings are initialized by initdb, but they can be changed.
-#lc_messages = 'C'			# locale for system error message
+#lc_messages = ''			# locale for system error message
 					# strings
 #lc_monetary = 'C'			# locale for monetary formatting
 #lc_numeric = 'C'			# locale for number formatting
diff --git a/src/bin/initdb/initdb.c b/src/bin/initdb/initdb.c
index 0c6f5ceb0a..646e8f29f6 100644
--- a/src/bin/initdb/initdb.c
+++ b/src/bin/initdb/initdb.c
@@ -1226,25 +1226,17 @@ setup_config(void)
 	conflines = replace_guc_value(conflines, "shared_buffers",
 								  repltok, false);
 
-	/*
-	 * Hack: don't replace the LC_XXX GUCs when their value is 'C', because
-	 * replace_guc_value will decide not to quote that, which looks strange.
-	 */
-	if (strcmp(lc_messages, "C") != 0)
-		conflines = replace_guc_value(conflines, "lc_messages",
-									  lc_messages, false);
+	conflines = replace_guc_value(conflines, "lc_messages",
+								  lc_messages, false);
 
-	if (strcmp(lc_monetary, "C") != 0)
-		conflines = replace_guc_value(conflines, "lc_monetary",
-									  lc_monetary, false);
+	conflines = replace_guc_value(conflines, "lc_monetary",
+								  lc_monetary, false);
 
-	if (strcmp(lc_numeric, "C") != 0)
-		conflines = replace_guc_value(conflines, "lc_numeric",
-									  lc_numeric, false);
+	conflines = replace_guc_value(conflines, "lc_numeric",
+								  lc_numeric, false);
 
-	if (strcmp(lc_time, "C") != 0)
-		conflines = replace_guc_value(conflines, "lc_time",
-									  lc_time, false);
+	conflines = replace_guc_value(conflines, "lc_time",
+								  lc_time, false);
 
 	switch (locale_date_order(lc_time))
 	{