In recent years the theme of voice has emerged more prominently in research and practice in education. In practice in schools it has been found in such developments as circle time, the emphasis on emotional literacy and emotional intelligence, peer-led counselling, buddying, and the revival of school councils, while in further and adult education the origin of similar ideas in the work of Paulo Freire and Carl Rogers shades into modern emphases on ownership and empowerment. Certain aspects of citizenship education give the theme a further boost. Typically the celebration of voice has to do with self-expression, with a kind of finding of oneself, with recognition and acknowledgement. But there is an unsteadiness in the term, and the emotive expressions that it so readily connotes give some reason to be cautious about what is being advocated. Nevertheless, it is difficult not to think that something important is at stake, especially in the face of the normalising tendencies that proliferate in education. It is towards uncovering what this is and why it matters that this article is directed. The author begins by expanding on this oddness of usage, acknowledging some broader questions that are thereby raised. These are questions of the individual's relation to the society and the culture in which she finds herself. They address to the relation between authenticity and self-reliance, on the one hand, and acculturation and conformity, on the other. In short they require attention to the nature of the criteria that give meaning to one's actions and one's life, and hence to one's education. (Contains 8 notes.)