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This article pursues the debate on civic virtues opened up by the work of Philip Pettit. On the basis of a critical examination of perfectionist-inspired objections raised against him, it seeks to determine whether his brand of political republicanism is sufficiently equipped to allow for the development of the civic qualities necessary to support the institutions that he recommends. Although Pettit’s approach makes it possible to envisage broader attachment among individuals to the ideal of non-domination, whilst limiting abuses of the language of virtue, it could be enhanced by greater vigilance to the conditions under which freedom is exercised in the extra-state spheres of citizenship. With the aim of remedying this weakness, this article proposes a convergence of political republicanism and associative democracy.