I’ve learned that you shouldn’t go through life with a catcher’s mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw something back.

Angelou frames life as an exchange rather than a one-way act of receiving. The “catcher’s mitt on both hands” suggests a posture of constant taking—collecting praise, help, opportunities, or even grievances—without offering anything in return. Her counsel is that a meaningful life requires reciprocity: generosity, contribution, and the willingness to give back what one has been given (time, kindness, knowledge, resources). The baseball metaphor also implies agency and participation; to “throw something back” is to engage actively with the world, not merely absorb it. The line fits Angelou’s broader ethical emphasis on dignity, service, and the responsibility to uplift others.