def read(others):
    """Extract optional arguments"""
    out = {}
    key = None
    for value in others:
        value = value.replace("'", '')
        if len(value) > 2:
            if value[:2] == '--':
                key = value[2:]
                value = None
                if '=' in key:
                    key, value = key.split('=', 1)
        if key and value:
            out[key] = value
            key = None
    return out
