The camel went to ask for horns and they plucked off his ears.
In the question: He chased after greatness and in the end lost the little he had (they plucked, they plucked or they tore).
("And Balaam the son of Beor they killed in the wilderness (in the wilderness of Lachish)" Balaam, what did you do with him? Rabbi Johanan said: He went to take away the ten thousand and four thousand that he killed in Israel. Mar Zutra bar Tobiah said: Rab said: We are the words of men: A camel has gone to the springs of its horns (this is what the rabbis say: The camel went "To ask for horns and they plucked off his ears" - Sanhedrin 20:1)
Translation
Expression (Hebrew)
הָלַךְ הַגָּמָל לְבַקֵּשׁ קַרְנַיִם וְקִטְפוּ אֶת אָזְנָיו
Definition (Hebrew)
בְּהַשְׁאָלָה: רָדַף אַחֲרֵי הַגְּדֻלָּה וּלְבַסּוֹף אִבֵּד אֶת הַמְּעַט שֶׁהָיָה לוֹ (קִטְּפוּ מַשְׁמָע כָּרְתוּ אוֹ תָּלְשׁוּ).
("וְאֵת בִּלְעָם בֶּן בְּעוֹר הָרְגוּ בֶּחָרֶב(בְּמִדְבַּר לֹא ח)" בִּלְעָם מַאי בָּעֵי הָתָם? אָמַר רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן: שֶׁהָלַךְ לִטּוֹל שְׂכַר עֶשְׂרִים וְאַרְבָּעָה אֶלֶף שֶׁהִפִּיל מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל. אָמַר מַר זוּטְרָא בַּר טוֹבִיָּה אָמַר רַב: הָיִינוּ דְּאָמְרֵי אִינָשֵׁי: גַּמְלָא אֲזַלָא לְמִבְעֵי קַרְנֵי(זֶה שֶׁאוֹמְרִין הַבְּרִיּוֹת: הָלַךְ הַגָּמָל לְבַקֵּשׁ קַרְנַיִם וְקִטְּפוּ לוֹ אָזְנָיו"- סַנְהֶדְרִין קַו ע"א)