The Life of John Sterling is a biography of the Scottish author John Sterling (1806–1844) written by his friend, the Scottish essayist, historian and philosopher Thomas Carlyle.

[1] John Sterling was a colleague and friend of Carlyle, but achieved far less success as a writer.

Their friendship, which lasted for the remaining years of Sterling's short life, was carried on for the most part through letters.

[2] Hare produced an obituary of Sterling but, some years later, Carlyle wrote his biography, in part at least, to counter what he considered a poor biographical memoir by Hare.

"Environment," "vestural," "stertorous," "visualized," "complected," and others to be found I think in the first twenty pages,—are words, so far as I know, without any authority..."[4]Leslie Stephen wrote that "The subject roused Carlyle's tenderest mood, and the Life is one of the most perfect in the language.