Millstone around your neck

You might use this phrase today to talk about the annoying thing which stops you achieving what you need to do. Or to talk about a person who is wrecking your life in some way. "He's like a millstone around her neck!" It's a powerful image, and it comes from a short saying of Jesus, where he says, basically, that you'd be better off dead rather than causing other people to sin. Jesus often used quite extreme words to make a strong point, and this is one of his unforgettable images...

If anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a large millstone tied around his neck.