Only with him it was not so simple an act.

This can be either using a set formula or by a simple act of will.

This simple act brought us all back to the region of fact.

One which caused trouble was the simple act of opening a window.

Not having to park and wait for the train made driving "much more of a simple act."

Consider the simple act of looking up someone in your address book.

So I'm asking you to choose the future of our country with this simple act.

The simple act of returning home again shouldn't be any different, should it?

Even the simple act of holding up his hand was impossible.