Smile, it’s better than a poke in the eye.

The line is a folksy, comic piece of practical optimism: even a small positive gesture (a smile) is preferable to needless discomfort or harm (the exaggerated “poke in the eye”). Its humor depends on the deliberately low bar for “better,” suggesting that cheerfulness can be chosen even when circumstances are merely tolerable rather than wonderful. Read this way, the saying functions less as deep philosophy than as a quick social nudge—an encouragement to keep interactions light, to defuse tension, and to remember that attitude can improve a moment at minimal cost.