li = link_to \'Account\', \'#account\', data: { toggle: \'tab\' }
I need span tags around \'Account\'.
li = link_to "<span>Account</span>".html_safe, '#account', data: { toggle: 'tab' }
You can also use a block if you find that you have more complex code inside the link text than just a span tag:
li = link_to '#account', data: {toggle: 'tab'} do
span
= "Account"
li = link_to content_tag(:span, 'Account'), '#account', data: { toggle: 'tab' }
http://api.rubyonrails.org/classes/ActionView/Helpers/TagHelper.html#method-i-tag