How we cite our quotes: Line
Quote #7
They're clouds from heaven, goddesses for idle men. / They're the ones who give us judgment, dialectic, intelligence, fantasy and double-talking, eloquence and forceful talk. (316-317)
Socrates explains the Clouds and the nature of their "divinity" to Strepsiades. Hmm, who knew the gods were into "double-talking" and "forceful talk"? Well, maybe the latter, if the Ten Commandments are any indicator of the stuff God/gods are into…
Quote #8
Clouds, of course! I'll prove it so by arguments irrefutable. / Tell me, have you ever seen it raining when there were no clouds? / Why can't Zeus produce a rainstorm while the clouds are out of town? (369-371)
In one of the few moments where Socrates looks on the ball, he explains that clouds are responsible for rain. Yay, score one for Socrates.
Quote #9
Promise that you'll recognize no god but those we recognize, / Emptiness and Clouds and Tongue, the one and only Trinity? (423-424)
Ah, after that brief foray into science with Socrates's meteorology lesson, now we're back to acting like the Thinkery is a cult. Apparently, Strepsiades can't enroll without swearing to have certain beliefs.