The UK coalition government has stated its ambition to create a "Big Society". This represents an attempt to alter the relationship between citizen and state, loosening the vertical ties that exist between government and the individual while strengthening the informal bonds of neighbourhoods and communities. This agenda runs through the overwhelming majority of government activity, and has clear relevance to adult education. Plato observed that "By maintaining a sound system of education you produce citizens of good character". Indeed, if civic action is to be a central pillar of the "Big Society", then adult learning represents a crucial means of enabling more active and engaged citizenship. In this article, the author discusses how adult learning can be a vital tool for personal development, especially for disadvantaged or vulnerable individuals, and argues that creating a "Big Society" demands seeing the merits of a wide range of learning programmes and ensuring continued financial support for provision tailored to the disadvantaged.