Having to explain the meaning of the three XXX's is the main challenge when I meet women in the USA :) :(
The meaning has morphed over time going back to the 13th Century
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coat_of_arms_of_AmsterdamMotto
During the 1941 February strike in Amsterdam, for the first time in Europe non-Jewish people protested against the persecution of Jews by the Nazi regime.[3] Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands wanted to remember the role of the citizens of Amsterdam during World War II and created a motto consisting of the Dutch words "Heldhaftig, Vastberaden, Barmhartig", meaning "Valiant, Steadfast, Compassionate". On March 29, 1947, Wilhelmina presented the motto as part of the coat of arms of Amsterdam to the city government.[1]
Never will I forget the emotion that overwhelmed us, when eyewitnesses first notified us in London of how the entire population had actually turned against the inhumanity of the cruel tyrant.[i][3]
—Wilhelmina of the Netherlands
In the coat of arms of Amsterdam, the motto is written on a silver scroll. This scroll is positioned on top of the compartment under the escutcheon.