Man’s oldest recorded literature is found in the ancient proverbs of Sumeria, written down starting about 4,400 years ago (though most are only 3,800 years old). Then again, these were already proverbs passed down for generations back then, so they are probably far older.
Have you ever thought: There's gotta be a good ancient Sumerian proverb I could use right now
"Beer is a bull. The mouth is its stairway."