improve the shining hour

improve the shining hour

old-fashioned To maximize one's productivity; to make the most of one's time. This notion that children should at all times strive to improve the shining hour—foregoing play and rest in the name of education and work—means many children are being deprived of childhood itself.
See also: hour, improve, shine
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

improve the shining hour

make good use of time; make the most of your time. literary
This expression comes from Isaac Watts's Divine Songs for Children ( 1715 ): ‘How doth the little busy bee Improve each shining hour’.
See also: hour, improve, shine
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary
See also:
  • at doorstep
  • at (one's) doorstep
  • better (to be) safe than sorry
  • better safe than sorry
  • at (one's) expense
  • at expense
  • at somebody's expense
  • at someone's expense
  • be remembered as (something)
  • be remembered as/for something
References in classic literature
But now let's improve the shining hours by going to sleep, and talk about it in the morning!"
Yellow Wallpaper